A treatise upon the life of faith

■iN*

S'Wi

*

i=^-;i *->'i

^.. /.n

SSas|iitgtfln f ibrarg

«-«-»

HIBRARY OF CONGRESS.

am — M

J UNITED STATES OP AMERICA. *

This valuable Library, containing 080 volumes, was
presented to the Washington Library, of which Dr.
Laurie was one of the founders, by his step son, Dr.
James C. Hall, March 3, 1858.

K^€z:

"■?^^Wir» ^^IRP; -'I lif

.. \''J9

■

t *

p*l

\

TREATISE

U P^N

THE LIFE OF FAITH.

bt5v.*^R0mainr, m. a.

RECTOR OF ST. AKDREW, WARDROBE, AND ST. ANn'-S

BLACK-FRIARS,

AND LECTURER OF ST. DUNSTAN's IN THE WEST, LOXDO^:

The Just shall live by his Faith. HaKu'ri,'

.YEW'YORK: J
PUBLISHED BY WILLIAMS AND WHITLVG,

,VT TIIEIU THEOLOGICAL AMD CLASSICAL BOOK-STORE,

No. 118, Pearl-Street.

T, SEYMOUR, PRINTER.

1809.

Tbb

^J»R.Arv

PREFACE.

IHE design of this little treatise is to
display the glory and all- sufficiency of the.
Lord Jesus Christy and to encourage weak
believers to glorify him more, by depending
ayid living more upon his all- sufficiency.
Whatever grace he has promised in his
word, he is faithful, and he is almighty to
bestozv, and they may receive it of him free-
ly by the hand of faith. This is its use and
office, as an hand or instrument, having first
received Christ, to be continually receiving
out of Christ's fulness. The apostle calls
this '' livijig byfaitK' — a life, received and
continued, with all the strength, comforts,
and blessings belonging to it, by faith in
the Son of God; and he also 7nentions the
work of faith, its working effectually in
the hearts and lives of believers, through
Christ strengthenijig thern^ and its grow-

IV

ing in them ; yea ^ growing exceedingly from
faith to faith,, by the power of him who
loveth them. This is the subject ; and it
properly belongs to those only who have ob-
tained the true faith, gi'oen them of God,
and xvrought in their hearts by his word
and Spirit, Such pei^sons meet with many
difficulties every day to try their faith, and
to hinder them from depending continually
upon the Lord Chinst for all things be-
longing to life and godliness. By what
means these difficulties may be overcome, is
plainly taught in scripture; is clearly pro-
mised; and is attained by faith, which be-
comes daily more victorious, as it is enabled
to trust, that he is faithful %vho promised.
The strengthening of it I have had all
along in view, hoping to be the means, un^
der God, of leading the weak believer by
the hand, and of removing hindrances out
of his way, until the Lord thoroughly set-
tle and establish him in the faith that is in
Christ Jesus,

But J must adinonish the reader, that I
do not expect this merely from what I have

written. It is too high and great a zcork
for any mere man. Faith is the gift of
God, And he alone xvho gives it., can in-
crease it. The author of the faith is also
the finisher of it : and we do not use the
means to set the Lord of all means aside.
No : zee use them that we may find him
in them. It is his presence., which makes
the use of them effectual. By this^ and
this only^ can any reader of this little hook
he rendered stronger in faith. Being well
assured of this^ I have therefore looked up
to him myself; and it will he for thy pi^ofit
also J reader^ to look up to him in prayer s
for his hlessing. Entixat him of his grace
to countenance this feehle attempt to pro-
mote his glory and his peoples good. Beg
of him to make thy reading of it the means
of thy growth in faithy and to accompany
it with the supply of his Holy Spirit to
every believer into whose hands it may fall
And forget not in thy prayers and pi^aises
to remember the author.

Since the first printing of this book se-
veral spurious editions have been published

A- 2

VI

at London and Dublin^ very full of faults
and mistakes. For the sake of setting my
own sentiments correctly before the public^ 1
have given Mrs. Trapp leave to print from
my own copy. I bless God who has enabled'
me to revise the press, and to put my last
hand to the work, by making such addi-
tions and alterations, as seemed to me ne-
cessary, to render the subject more plain to
common readers. In this, and in all things,
I desire to approve myself to my Lord and
Master, whose I am, and whom I serve ;
and whatever good I have or do, to him be
all the praise. Blessed be his Name this
day, hencefoi^th, and through the day of
eternity.

April g4, 1793.

TREATISE,

The persons for whose use this little tract is
drawn up^ are supposed to be practically ac-
quainted with these following truths : they
have been convinced of sin^ and convinced
of rio^hteousness : the word of God has
been made effectual, by the application of
the Holy Spirit, to teach them the nature of
the divine law, and, upon comparing their
hearts and their lives with it, they have been
brought in guilty ; they found themselves
fallen creatures, and they felt the sad conse-
quences of the fall, namely, total ignorance
in the understanding of God and his ways;
an open rebellion against him in the will, and
an entire enmity in the heart ; a life spent in
the service of the world, the flesh, and the
devil ; and on all these accounts guilty be-

8
fore God, and by nature children of wrath.
When they were convmced of those truths
in their judgments, and the awakened con-
science sought for ease and deliverance, then
they found they were helpless, and without
strength. They could take no step, nor do
any thing which could in the least save them
from their sins. Whatever method they
thought of, it failed them upon trial, and left
their conscience more uneasy than before.
Did they purpose to repent; they found
such a repentance as God would be pleased
with, was the gift of Christ. He was exalt-
ed to be a Prince and a Saviour to give
repentance. Suppose they thought of re-
forming their lives ; yet what is to become of
their old sins ? Will present obedience, if it
could be perfectly paid, make any atonement
for past disobedience ? Will the broken law
take part of our duty for the whole ? No.
It has determined, that whosoever shall keep
the whole law, and yet offend in one point,
he is guilty of all. And let him be ever so
careful in doing what the law requires, or
in avoidincr wh^t the law forbids ; let him

'9

fast, and pray, and give alms ; hear and read
the word, be early and late at ordinances;
yet the enlightened conscience cannot be
herewith satisfied ; because by these duties
he cannot undo the sin committed, and be-
cause he will find so many failings in them,
that they will be still adding to his guilt, and
increasing his misery.

What method then shall he take? the
more he strives to make himself better, the
worse he finds himself. He sees the pollu-
tion of sin greater. He discovers more of
its guilt. He finds in himself a want of all
good, and an inclination to all evil. He is
now convinced that the law is holy, just, and
good ; but when he would keep it, evil is pre-
sent with him. This makes him deeply seiT^
sible of his guilty, helpless state ; and shows
him that by the works of the lavv he cannot
be saved. His heart, like a fountain, is con-
tinually sending forth evil thoughts ; yea, the
very imaginations of it are only, and alto-
gether evil, and words and works partake of
the nature of that evil fountain from whence
they flow : so that after all his efforts, he

10

cannot quiet his conscience, nor attain peace
with God.

The law having done its office, as a school-
master, by convincing him of these truths,
stops his mouth, that he has not a word to
say, why sentence should not be passed upon
him. And there it leaves him, guilty and
helpless. It can do nothing more for him,
than show him that he is a child of wrath,
and that he deserves to have the wrath of
God abiding upon him for ever ; for by the
law is the knowledge of sin.

The gospel finds him in this condition, as
the good Samaritan did the wounded travel-
ler, and brings him good news. It discovers
to him the way of salvation contrived in the
covenant of grace, and manifests to him
what the ever blessed Trinity had therein
purposed, and what in the fulness of time
was accomplished. That all the perfections
of the Godhead might be infinitely and ever-
lastingly glorified, the Father covenanted to
gain honour and dignity to his law and jus-
tice, to his faithfulness and holiness, by in-
sisting upon man's appearing at his bar, in

11

the perfect righteousness of the law. But
man having no such righteousness of his
own, all having sinned, and there being none
righteous, no not one ; how can he be saved?
The Lord Christ, a person in the Godhead
co-equal and co-eternal with the Father, un-
dertook to be his Saviour. He covenanted
to stand up as the head and surety of his
people in their nature and in their stead, to
obey for them, that by his infinitely precious
obedience many might be made righteous;
and to suffer for them, that by his everlast-
ing meritorious stripes they might be healed.
Accordingly, in the fulness of time, he came
into the world, and was made flesh, and God
and man being as truly united in one person
as the reasonable soul and flesh is one
man. This adorable person lived, and suf-
fered, and died as the representative of his
people. The righteousness of his life ^vas to
be their right and title to life, and the right-
eousness of his sufferings and death, was to
save them from all the sufferings due to their
sins. And thus the law and justice of the
Father would be glorified in pardoning them,

12
and his faithfulness and holiness made ho-
nourable in saving them. He might be strict-
ly just, and yet the justifier of him who be-
lieveth in Jesus.

In this covenant, the holy Spirit, a person
co-equal and co-eternal with the Father and
the Son, undertook the gracious office of
quickening and convincing sinners in their
consciences, how guilty they were, and how
much they wanted a Saviour; and in their
judgments, how able he was to save all that
come unto God through him; and in their
hearts, to receive him, and to believe unto
righteousness ; and then in their walk and
conversation, to live upon his grace and
strength. His office is thus described by
our blessed Lord, in John xvi. 13, 14.
'^ When the Spirit of truth is come, he shall
glorify me ; for he shall take of mine, and
shall show it unto you ;" that is, when he
comes to convince sinners of sin, and of
righteousness, and of judgment, he takes of
the things of Christ, and glorifies him by
showing them what a fulness there is in him
to save. He leads them into all necessary

13

truth in their judgments, both concerning
their own sinfuhiess, guilt, and helplessness,
and also concerning the almighty power of
the God-man, and his lawful authority to
make use of it for their salvation. He
opens their understandings to comprehend
the covenant of grace, and the offices of the
eternal Trinity in this covenant, particularly
the office of the sinner's surety, the Lord
Christ; and he convinces them that there is
righteousness and strength, comfort and re-
joicing, grace for grace, holiness and glory ;
yea, treasures, infinite, everlasting treasures
of these in Christ ; and hereby he draws out
their atiections after Christ, and enables
them with the heart to believe in him unto
righteousness. And the Holy Spirit having
thus brought them to the happy knowdedge
of their union with Christ, afterwards glori-
fies him in their walk and conversation, by
teaching them how to live by faith upon his
fulness, and to be continually receiving out
ot it grace for grace, according to their con-
tinual needs.

1 he corruption of our nature by the fall,
B

14

and our recovery through Jesus Christ, are
the two leading truths in the Christian reli-
gion ; and I suppose the persons for whose
sake this little tract is drawn up not only to
know them, but also to be established in
them, steadfastly to believe and deeply to
experience them. The necessity of their be-
ing w ell grounded in them is very evident :
for a sinner will never seek after nor desire
Christ, further than he feels his guilt and
his misery; nor will he receive Christ by
faith, till all other methods of saving him-
self fail ; nor will he live upon Christ's ful-
ness, further than he has an abiding sense of
his own want of him. Reader, how do
these truths appear to thee ? Has the law of
God arraigned thee in thy conscience ? Hast
thou been there brought in guilty, and has
the Spirit of God deeply convinced thee, by
the law^, of sin, and of unbelief, and of thy
helplessness, so as to leave thee no false
resting place short of Christ? Has he swept
away every refuge of lies, and thus put
thee upon inquiring what thou must do to
'be saved ? If not, may the Lord the Spirit

15
convince thee, and in his own good time
bring thee to the knowledge of thyself, and
to the saving knowledge of and belief in
Christ Jesus, without which this book can
profit thee nothing. But if thou hast been
thus convinced, and the Lord has shone into
thy understanding, and enlightened it with
the knowledge of the way of salvation, then
read on. May the Lord make what thou
readest profitable to thine establishment in
the faith, w hich is in Christ Jesus.

There are two things spoken of faith in
scripture, which highly deserve the attention
of every true believer. The first is the state
of safety, in which he is placed by Christ,
and is delivered from every evil and danger
in time and in eternity, to which sin had
justly exposed him; and the second is the
happiness of this state, consisting in an
abundant supply of all spiritual blessings
freely given to him in Christ, and received,
as they are wanted, by the hand of faith out
of the fulness of Christ. By which means
whoever has obtained this precious faith
ought to have a quiet conscience, at peace

16

with God, and need not fear any manner of
evil, how much soever it be deserved ; and
thereby he may at all times come boldly to
the throne of grace to receive whatever is
necessary for his comfortable walk heaven-
wards. Every grace, every blessing promis-
ed in scripture, is his ; and he may and does
enjoy them, so far as he lives by faith upon
the Son of God : so far his life and conver-
sation are well ordered; his walk is even, his
spiritual enemies are conquered; the old man
is mortified with his affections and lusts, and
the new man is renewed day by day after
the image of God in righteousness and true
holiness. And from what he already enjoys
by faith, and from the hopes of a speedy
and perfect enjoyment, the scripture w^ar-
rants him to rejoice in the Lord with joy
unspeakable and full of glory.

It is much to be lamented, that few live
up to these two privileges of faith. Many
persons who are truly concerned about the
salvation of their souls, live for years toge-
ther full of doubts and fears, and are not es-
tablished in the faith that is in Christ Je-

17
bus ; and several who are in a good measure
established, yet do not walk happily in an
even course, nor experience the continual
blessedness of receiving by faith a supply of
every want out of the Saviour's fulness.
These things I have long observed, and w hat
I have been taught of them from the scrip-
ture and from the good hand of God upon
me, I have put together, and throw it as a
mite into the treasury. I am sure it was
never more wanted, than at present. May
the good Lord accept the poor offering, and
bless it to the hearts of his dear people, to
the praise of the glory of his own grace.

For the clearer understanding of what shall
be spoken upon the life of faith, it will be
needful to consider first what faith is ; for a
man must have faith before he can make use
of it. He must be in Christ, before he can
live upon Christ. Now^ faith signifies the
believing the truth of the word of God : so
says Christ, " Thy word is truth :" it relates
to some word spoken, or to some promise
made by him, and it expresses the belief
which a person who hears it; has of its being
B2

18

true. He assents to it, relies upon it, and
acts accordingly. This is faith. And the
whole word of God, which is the ground of
faith, may be reduced to two points, name-
ly, to what the law reveals concerning the
justification of a righteous man, and to what
the gospel reveals concerning the salvation
ef a sinner. A short examination of these
points will discover to us a great number of
persons, who have no faith at all in the word
of God.

First, Every man in his natural state be-
fore the grace of Christ, and the inspiration
of his Spirit, has no faith. The scripture
says, God hath shut up all that are in this
state in unbelief; and when the Holy Spirit
aw akens any one of them, he convinces him
of sin, and of unbelief in particular. Whea
the Comforter is come, says Christy he shall
convince the world of sin, because they be-
lieve not in me.

Secondly^ A man who lives careless in
sin has no faith. He does not believe one
word that God says in bis law. Let it warn
him of his guilt; and show him his great

19

danger ; yet he sets at naught the terrors of
the Lord. He acts as it there was no day
of judgment, and no place of eternal tor-
ments. He has no fear of God before his
eyes. How can such a practical atheist as
this have any faith ?

Thirdly, The formalist has not true faith.
He is content with the form of godliness,
and denies the power of it. The veil of un-
belief is upon his heart, and the pride of his
own good works and duties is ever before
his eyes, that he finds no w'ant of the salva-
tion of Jesus, and is averse to the grace of
the gospel. All his hopes arise from what he
is in himself, and from what he is able to
do for himself He neither believes God,
speaking in the law nor in the gospel. If
he believed his word in the law, it would
convict him of sin, and forbid him to go
about to establish a righteousness of his
own ; because by the works of the law shall
no flesh living be justified; yet this he does
not believe. If he believed the word of God
in the gospel, it would convince him of righ-
teousness, of an infinitely perfect righteous-

20

ness, wrought out by the God-man Christ
Jesus, and imputed to the sinner without
any^ works of his own : ^^ for unto him that
worketh not, butbelieveth on him that justi-
fieth the ungodly, his faith is imputed for
righteousness." To this he dare not trust
wholly for his acceptance before God ; there-
fore he has not true faith.

Fourthly, A man may be so far enlighten-
ed, as to understand the way of salvation,
and yet have not true faith. This is a possi-
ble case. The apostle states it, 1 Cor. xiii.
a. ^' Though I understand all mysteries,
and all knowledge, yet I may be nothing.''
And it is a dangerous case, as Heb, x. 26.
"■' If we sin wilfully after that we have re-
ceived the knowledge of the truth, there re-
maineth no more sacrifice for sins." Here
was such a knowledge of the truth, as left a
man to perish without the benefit of Christ's
sacrifice ; therefore he wanted that faith,
which whosoever hath, shall be saved.

What great numbers are there under these
delusions ? Reader, art thou one of them ?
Examine closely ; for it is of eternal mo-

21

ment. Prove thine own self, wliether thou
be in the faith. If thou askest how thou
shalt know it^ since there are so many errors
about it ; hear what God's word says, Who-
ever believes truly, has been first convinced
of unbelief This our Lord teaches, John
xvi. 9. ^^ When the Comforter is come, he
will convince the world of sin, because they
believe not on me." He convinces of sin,
by enlightening the understanding to know
the exceeding sinfulness of it, and by quick-
ening the conscience to feel the guilt of it.
He shows the misery threatened, and leaves
sinners no false refuge to flee unto. He will
not suffer them to sit down content with some
sorrow, or a little outward reformation, or
any supposed righteousness ; but makes
them feel, that, do whatever they will or
can, still their guilt remains. Thus he puts
them upon seeking out for salvation, and by
the gospel he discovers it to them. He opens
their understandings to know what they hear
and read concerning the covenant of the
eternal Trinity, and concerning what the
God-man has done in the fulfilling of this

255

covenant. The Holy Spirit teaches them
the nature of the adorable person of Christ-
God manifest in the flesh, and the infinitely
precious and everlastingly meritorious right-
eousness, which he has wrought out by the
obedience of his life and death ; and he con-
vinces them that this righteousness is suffi-
cient for their salvation^ and that nothing is
required, except faith, for its being imputed
unto them ; and he works in them a sense of
their being helpless, and without strength to
rely upon this righteousness, and through
faith in it, to have peace with God. He
makes them see that they cannot, by any
power of their own, in the least depend up-
on it : for all their sufficiency is of God. It
requires the same arm of the Lord, which
wrought out this righteousness, to enable
them with the heart to believe in it. They
are made clearly sensible of this from the
word and Spirit of God, and from their own
daily experience, and thereby they are dis-
posed to receive their whole salvation from
the free grace of God, and to him to ascribe
all the glory of it. These are the redeemed

23

of the Lord, to whom it is given to believe.
They are quickened from a death in trespas-
ses and sins ; their consciences are awakened ;
their understandings are enlightened with
the knowledge of Christ; they are enabled in
their wills to choose him, and in their hearts
to love him, and to rejoice in his salvation.
This is entirely the work of the Holy Spirit :
for faith is his gift, Eph. ii. 8. '^ Unto you it
is given, says the apostle, Phil, i. 29. in the
behalf of Christ to believe on him ;" none
can give it but the Spirit of God : because
it is the faith of the operation of God, and
requires the same almighty power to believe
with the heart, as it did to raise Christ's bo-
dy from the grave, Eph, i. 20. And this
power he puts forth in the preaching of
the word, and makes it the power of God
unto salvation. The word is called, 2 Cor.
iii. 8. the ministration of the Spirit,- because
by it the Spirit ministers his grace and
strength. So GaL iii. 2. " Received ye the
Spirit by the works of the law, or by the
hearing of faith?" It was by hearing faith
preached, that they received the Spirit : for

faith Cometh by hearing, and hearing- by the
word of God, which is, therefore, called the
word of faith. And thus the word is the
means in the hand of the Spirit, to dispose
the hearts of those who hear it, to receive
and to embrace Christ; whereby they at-
tain the righteousness of faith, as Ro?72. x.
10. ^' With the heart man believeth unto
righteousness." The heart is the chief thing
in believing ; for into it Christ is received,
and in it he dwells by faith. The vital union
between Christ and the believer, is manifest-
ed and made known in the heart, and therein
it is cemented and established. With joy
can the believer say, ''My Beloved is mine,
and I am his," happy for me, we are but
one person in the e3^e of the law, and our in-
terests are but one. Blessed state this !
Christ gives himself freely to the believer,
who also gives himself up in faith to Christ
Christ, as the believer's surety, has taken his
sins upon himself, and the believer takes
Christ's righteousness ; for Christ makes
over all that he has to the believer, who, by
faith^ looks upon it, .and makes use of it as

^5

his oun, according to that express warrant
for his so doing, in 1 Cor. iii. 22, 23. '' All
things are yours, because ye belong to
Christ"

This vital union, between Christ and the
believer, is largely treated of in Scripture.
Christ thus speaks of it in his prayer for
his people, Joh?i xvii. '^ I pray for them
who shall believe on me through their word,
that they all may be one, as thou, Father,
art in me and I in thee, that they also may
be one in us ; I in them, and thou in me^

that they may be made perfect in one."^ •

And in Jo/m vi. 56. he says, ^' He that
eateth my flesh, and drinkeih my blood,
dwelleth in me, and I in him ;" and this
indwelling is by faith, as £p/i. iii. 17.—
'^ That Christ may dwell in your hearts by
faith." And it is the office of the Holy
Spirit to manifest this union to their hearts,
as JoJui xiv. 20. '^ At that day, when the
Spirit of truth is come, ye shall know that
I am in my Father, and you in me, and I
in you." And besides these, and many
other plain words, this union is also repre*

C

26

sented by several striking images, such as
that of husband and wife, who are in law
but one person ; the husband being answ^er-
able for the wife's debts, and the wife shar-
ing in her husband's honours and goods.
It is set forth by the union between a build-
ing and the foundation upon which it stands
secure ; between a tree and its branches,
which live because they are in the tree, and
grow by the sap w^hich they receive from it ;
between the head and the members, which,
by holding under the head, live and grow,
having a supply of nourishment administer-
ed to every part. Under these beautiful
images the scripture sets forth the reality,
and the blessed fruits of this union. The
Holy Spirit makes it known to the believer,
by enabling him to rely on God's word, as
infallible truth, and to receive Christ's person
as the almighty Saviour ; and he strengthens
it, by enabling the believer to make use of
Christ's fulness, and to live by faith upon
him in all his offices, for the partaking of
all his promised graces and blessings.

That faith which is of the operation of

27

God, alwaj^s produces the knowledge and
the fruits of this blessed union, and enables
the soul to give itself up to Christ, that it
may be one with him, not in a figurative
metaphorical way, but as really and truly,
as the building is one with the foundation ; as
much one in interest, as husband and wife;
one in influence, as the root and the branch-
es, the head and the members. So that
this is not an empty notion about Christ, or
some clear knowledge of him, or a mere
approving of his way of salvation; but it is
an actual receiving of him into the heart for
righteousness to justify, and to d^vell and
reii>;n there to sanctify ; a receivin^y him as
a perfect Saviour, and living upon him and
his fulness ; waiting upon him to be taught
daily ; trusting w holly for acceptance to his
blood and righteousness ; resting, relying,
leaning upon his promised strength to hold
out unto the end ; and hoping for eternal
life as the free gift of God through Jesus
Christ our Lord. The saving faith thus re-
ceives Christ, and thus lives upon Christ.

528

Now, reader, examine and prove thysell
whether thou hast this faith. Dost thou be^
lieve with thy heart unto righteousness? Thoii
canst not live upon Christ, unless thou ar
first in Christ. Thou must be first per^
suaded of thine interest in him, before thoi)
canst make use of it, and improve it : an^
therefore the knowledge of thy union wit|
him must be clear and plain, before thoi
canst have a free and^open communion witlj
him. There must be faith, before there ca
be the fruits of faith ; and strong faith, be-
fore there can be much and ripe fruit. Lit-
tle faith will receive but little from Christ.
The weak believer is full of doubts and
fears ; and when he wants comfort or strength,
or any other things which Christ has pro-
mised to give his people, he is questioning
whether he has any right to expect them ;
and therefore he does not receive them, be-
cause he has not boldness and access with
confidence to God by faith in Christ Jesus.
From hence appears the necessity of being
established in the faith. The believer must
have clear evidence of his interest in Christy

I

29
before lie can live comfortable and happy
upon Christ : therefore he must look well to
the foundation, and see there be no doubts
left about his being settled upon it. Christ
being the sure foundation, how can he safe-
ly build thereon all his salvation, unless he
be first satisfied that he is upon it ? The
peace with God in his conscience, every
act of spiritual life, and the w hole walk and
well ordering of his conversation, depend
upon the settling of this point. It ought
to be finally determined, and brought to this
issue : *' Christ is mine; I know it from the
word of God. I have the witness of the
Spirit of God; and Christ allows me, unwor-
thy as I am^ to make use of him and of his
fulness for the supply of all my needs ; and
I find I do make use of him, and thereby I
know from daily experience, that I am in
him, because I live upon him." According
as this point is settled, so in proportion will
be the life of faith. If the believer be tho-
roughly grounded in it without any doubt
or fear, then he ma}^ and will with confi-
dence improve his interest in Christ: but
C ^

30
if he still leave it in suspense, his faith can
be but little, and therefore he will obtain
little comfort or strength from Christ.

Reader, art thou one of the weak in faith?
Dost thou feel it ? Dost thou mourn for it ?
And dost thou know, from w hence thy faith
is to be strengthened ? Who can increase it,
but he alone who gives it ? O pray, then, to
the Lord God to give thee the Spirit of wis-
dom and revelation, that the eyes of thy un-
derstanding may be enlightened to see the
infinite sufficiency of Christ's person as God-
man, and the everlasting merit of his life
and death to save his people from their sins.
And whatever hinders thee from seeing the
fulness of Christ's salvation, and resting com-
fortably by faith upon it, earnestly inireat
the Lord to remove it. If it be sin, beg of
God to make thee more willing to part with
it. If it be guilt, pray him to ordain peace
in thy conscience through the blood of
sprinkling. If it be much corruption, it can-
not be subdued, until it be first pardoned.
]^ thou hast got under the spirit of bondage,
look up to tlie Lord Christ lor that liberty,

31

wherewith he makes his people free. What-
ever it be, as soon as it is discovered to
thee, make use of prayer, believing God's
word of faithfulness, that what thou ask-
est thou shalt have; and that he will so esta-
blish thee, that thou shalt go on from faith
to faith. May it be thy happy case. Amen.
Reader, if thou art an awakened man,
convinced of sin, by the word and Spirit of
God, all thine enemies will try to keep thee
from the clear knowledge of thy union with
Christ. The reason is plain : because then
thou wilt not be able to depend upon
Christ's promised strength, and to make use
of it by faith, which is almighty to defeat
them all. Hearken not therefore to any
suggestion, nor be afraid of any opposition,
which would hinder thee from seekincp to
be fully convinced of thine interest in Christ,
and of thy being a branch in the true vine.
Satan Avill use all his wiles and fiery darts,
and all carnal professors will be on his side;
and they wall have close allies in thine own
breast, in thine unbelief, in thy legal spirit,
and in thy lusts and corruptions. Consider,

32

why do these enemies fight so hard against
thy being safely settled; and comfortably
grounded upon Christ by living faith ? Is it
not, because thou wilt then be an overmatch
for them, through the strength of Jesus ?
And does not this plainly show thee the ab-
solute necessity of knowing, that Christ and
thou art one ? Till this be known, thou wilt
be afraid to apply to him, and to make use
of his strength ; and till thou dost use it, all
thine enemies will triumph over thee. O
beg of God then to increase thy faith, that
thou ma3^est be fully convinced of thy union
with Christ, and mayest live in him safe,
and on him happy. Hear and read his
M^ord ; and pray for the effectual working of
the Lord the Spirit in it, and by it, that
faith may come and grow by hearing, until
it be finally settled w ithout doubt or waver-
ing, that Christ is thine, and thou art his.

After the believer is thus grounded and
established in the knowledge of his union
with Christ, it behooves him then to inquire,
w^hat God has given him a right to in con-
sequence of this union ? And the scripture

33

will inform him, that in the covenant of
Grace it has pleased the Father, that all ful-
ness should dwell in his Son, as the head, for
the use of his members. He has it to sup-
ply all their need. They cannot possibly
want any thing, but it is treasured up for
them in his infinite fulness ; there they may
have it, grace for grace, every moment, as
their occasions require; and they have it in
no other way, and by no other hand, than
faith, trusting the word of promise, and re-
lying upon Christ's faithfulness and power
to fulfil it ; as it is written, '^ the just shall
live by his faith," Hab, ii. 3. Having receiv-
ed justification to life by faith in the right-
eousness of Christ, he depends on Christ
to keep him alive, and makes use of , Christ's
fulness for all the wants of that spiritual
life, which he has given. He trusts him for
them all, and lives upon him by faith for
the continual receiving of them all ; and
according to his faith, so is it done unto
him.

Let this be well weighed and considered^
that the justified person lives and performs

34

every act of spiritual life by faith. This
is a very important lesson, and therefore it
is taught in Scripture as plainly as words
can speak. Every thing is promised to, and
is received by faith. Thus it is said, " Ye
are all the children of God by faith in
Christ Jesus ; and if children,, then heirs ac-
cording to the promise, heirs of God, and
joint heirs with Christ, who of God is made
unto us wisdom, righteousness, and holi-
ness ;" made for their use wisdom, to teach
them, righteousness to justify them, and ho-
liness to sanctify them: yea, he has all things
in his fulness for their use, as the free grant
speaks, 1 Cor, iii. 21, 8^x. '^ All things are
yours, whether Paul or ApoUos, or Cephas,
or the world, or life, or death, or things pre-
sent, or things to come ; all are yours, and

ve are Christ's, and Christ's is God's."- ■

Consider, believer, what a large estate this
is : thy title to it is good, and thou enterest
into possession by faith. See then that thou
make use of thine inheritance, and live up-
on it. Do not say, when thou wantest any
thing, I know not where to get it : for

^5

whatever the God-man has of wisdom, right-
eousness, holiness, power, and glory, he has
it, as the head of the body, for thee as one
of his members, for thy use and benefit; and
he has promised it to thee in his word.
Make free with him then. Go to him with
confidence. Thou canst not do him greater
honour than to receive from him what he
has to give. That is glorifying him. It is
putting the crown upon his head, and con-
fessing him to be a perfect all-sufficient
Christ, when it pleaseth thee, as it did his
Father, that in him should all fulness duell;
and when thou art content to live out of
thyself upon his fulness for the supply of
all thy needs in time and in eternity. To
live thus upon him is his glory; and it is thy
privilege, thy interest, and thy happiness.
In every state, spiritual and temporal, and
in every circumstance, thou canst possibly
be in, thou art commanded to look up to
Christ, that thou mayest receive out of his
fulness*, and to depend upon hiuj to save
thee from every evil, and to bestow upon
thee every good. In thy walk heavenwards,

36

and in every thing thou meetest with by the
way, put thy trust in Christ, and expect
from him the fulfilling of all his promises,
lie has all power in heaven and earth for
that very purpose. Still rely upon him, arid
cast thy burdens on him, when thou art
tempted; when old corruptions arise; when
the world and the devil assault thee ; when
under a sense of weakness and dulness in
duty ; when in darkness and desertion ; in
persecution and trouble; in pain ^nd pov-
erty ; in sickness and death. This is the
life of faith. Thou wilt live like a Christian,
indeed, if, being in any of these cases, thou
belie vest that Christ is able, because he is
almighty, and willing; because he has pro-
mised to supply thy wants, and then canst
trust in him for that supply. Depend upon
it, thou shalt have it, and it shall be done
unto thee according to his word.

After the believer is become one with
Christ, and through him has a right to all
the riches of grace, and may by faith make
use of them as his own ; why is he so long in
learning this lesson perfectly ? Being adopt-

S7

ed into the heavenly family, and an heir of
the heavenly inheritance, why does not he
immediately live up to his privilege, and to
his estate r His title is good. The inherit-
ance is sure. All things are become his, for
all fulness is in Christ ; and by virtue of his
union with Christ, this fulness is his, and he
may by faith be always receiving out of it
every grace and blessing, which Christ has
promised : why then does not he at once at-
tain to this happy life of faith ? Sad expe-
rience proves that young believers do not.
They meet with so many difficulties, that
tliey grow up slowly into Christ in all things,
Thev do not attain to a solid establishment
in the faith in a day. Enemies without
and within stop their progress, insomucli,
that they often continue little children for a
long time. They have the same right to
Christ, the same privileges, and the same
promised grace, which young men and fa-
thers in Christ have ; but they have not learn-
ed by experience how to improve their inte-
rest in him, and to make the most of it. The

difficulties and temptations which weaken

D

38

their hold of Christ, and stop their growth
in him, are many ; some of the chief, are
these :

1. They continue little children, and weak
in faith, because they do not presently at-
tain a solid acquaintance with the person of
Christ ; and are not thoroughly satisfied, how
able he was, and sufficient for every thing
he undertook, and how perfectly he has fi-
nished every part of his work.

2. This keeps them ignorant of many
things in which the glory of his salvation
consists ; hence they have not clear believ-
ing views of its fulness, and of its freeness.

3. By which means they labour under ma-
ny doubts about the manner of their receiv-
ing this salvation. A legal spirit working
with their unbelief, puts them upon reason-
ing continually against being saved freely by
grace through faith; and,

4. These legal unbelieving reasonings gain
great power from their unskilfulness in their
w^arfare between nature and grace, the old
man and the new, the flesh and the spirit ;
and,

39

5. All these difficulties are mightily
strengthened, from their hearkening to sense,
and trusting to its reports more than to the
word of God. While believers are under
these difficulties, their faith meets with many
checks in its growth, and until they be ena-
bled to overcome them, they continue to be
little children in Christ. Their weak faith
receives but little from Christ, and it contin-
ues weak, because they have but little de-
pendence upon the effectual working of
Christ's mighty power. The exceeding
greatness of his power, is able to strengthen
them, and he has promised it ; but they dare
not trust him. Consider, therefore, reader,
if thou art one of these babes, why thou dost
not grow up faster into Christ. The

First thing that stops thee, is the igno-
rance which is in thy mind about his person,
and the prejudice against him, which is in
thy carnal heart. These are in all men by
nature ; and these Satan will work upon, in
order to hinder the increase of thy faith.
He will use all his cunning, and his power,
to keep thee from growing in that knowledge

40

'Of Christ, which is eternal life. He will in-
ject into thy heart blasphemous thoughts
against his Godhead; and when thou art
reading in Scripture, or hearing about his
being God manifest in the flesh, he will try
to puzzle and perplex thy imagination, with a
How can these things be? He will represent
the union of the two natures in Christ, as a
thing not to be understood ; and as if they,
who believed it with the clearest evidence of
God's word and Spirit, had only some fancy
about it. He has an old grudge against
Christ, and will not scruple to tell any lies
of him. He w^as a liar, from the beginning,
and abode not in the truth. Regard him
not. Mind what the word of truth says, and
pray thou mayest understand it : for the
more thou knowest of the Lord Christy that
blessed God-man, the more wilt thou be set-
tied, and established in him. It is written of
him, first, that he is God, true and very God,
in the holy, blessed, and glorious Trinity ; a
person, co-equal and co-eternal with the Fa-
ther and the Holy Spirit, Isa. ix. 6. " Unto
us a child is born, who is the mighty God ;"

41

secondly, that he is Jehovah, which signifies
the self-existent essence, Iscl xliii. 11. ''I,
even 1, am Jehovah, and besides me, there
is no Saviour;" from whence it is evident,
that the Saviour is Jehovah, and that he ex-
ists in a manner independent of, and distinct
from all other beings and things. St. Jade
makes the opposition to this fundamental
truth, the condemning sin of certain here-
tics, who denied Jesus Christ to be the onlv
Lord God, and our Lord. In the covenant
of grace, this divine person undertook to be
made man. He who was true and very
God, was made true and very man : he had a
reasonable soul and human flesh, and was in
all points like other men, sin excepted. And
as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man^
so God and man is one Christ. This is the
glorious person, who undertook, in the cove-
nant of grace, to be man's surety. St. Faul
calls him the surety of the New Testament ;
and what could there be wanting in him for
this high office ? He is every way qualified
to be the surety for man, who is himself true
and very man ; who is also God as well as

42

man ; and, therefore, has all the perfections
of Jehovah to render what he did and suffer-
ed, as man's surety, infinitely and everlast-
ingly meritorious.

This is the blessed object of faith ; God
and man united in one Christ. Consider,
then^ reader, what the Scripture says of his
w onderful person, in order that thy faith in
him may be established. That very self-
existent God, who spake, and all things were
made ; who commanded, and they stand fast
to this very hour, was made flesh. He
came to be the surety for his people, to
obey and suffer in their stead. What could
not his almighty power effect r Is any thing
too hard for the lord God? What obedi-
ence can his Father's law demand, which he
is not infinitely able to pay? What suffer-
ings can satisfy his Father's justice, which he
is not absolutely qualified to endure? for he
has every perfection and attribute equal with
the Father. On this truth thoii must rest; and
is it not a sure foundation ? In the certainty of
it, thou must seek to be more grounded every
day : because^ as thou growest in the know-

43

ledge of his divine person, thou wilt become
more satisfied of his infinite sufliciency to
save ; and fully convinced of this, thou wilt
be enabled fi'om Scripture to answer and si-
lence thine own unbelieving thoughts, and to
reject the blasphemous suggestions of satan
against the Lord Christ. Observe then that
he is God, and that he is Jehovah. Read,
and meditate on what the Scripture says of
his Godhead, and pray that thou mayest be
taught of God to understand it ; for no man
can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Ho-
ly Ghost. It is his office to glorify Jesus, by
enabling thee to believe him to be Lord and
God, and to call him thy Lord and thy God ;
and to prove he is so, by thy humble de-
pendence upon him for every blessing, both
in time and in eternity.

It is much to be lamented, that believers
in general take so little pains to get a clear
knowledge of the doctrine of the ever bles-
sed Trinity : for want of which their faith is
unsettled, and they are liable to many errors,
both in judgment and practice. I would,
therefore; most earnestly recommend it to all

44

that are weak in faith, to be diligent in hear-
ing and reading what in scripture is revealed
concerning the Trinity in unity ; looking up
always for the inward teaching of the Holy
Spirit : and I would direct them to a form of
sound words in the common prayer-book for
Trinity Sunday^ w^hich contains the shortest
and best account of the subject, that I ever
saw. ^^ It is very meet, right, and our
bounden duty, that we should, at all times,
and in all places, give thanks unto thee, O
Lord, almighty, everlasting God : who art
one God, and one Lord ; not one only person,
but three persons in one substance : for that
which we believe of the glory of the Father,
the same we believe of the Son, and of the
Holy Ghost, without any difference or ine-
quality." These are precious words. Me-
ditate, reader, upon tliem, and intreat the
Holy Spirit to enlighten thine understanding
wath the sav ing knowledge of them ; that be-
ina established in the doctrine of the evei

o

blessed Trinity, and of the Godhead of the
Lord Christ, thou mayest be enabled to over-
come the difficulties wliich arose,

45

Secondly, From thy not being well tOo*
quainted with the nature of Christ's salva-
tion ; concerning which, young believers
are apt to have many doubts. Carnal rea-
son is strong in them. The spirit of bond-
age resists with many and mighty arguments,
and unbelief musters up all its forces ; and
there is a long and obstinate fight against
being saved freely and fully by the grace of
Christ Jesus. But the arguments which CJod
has provided in his w^ord, when applied by
his Spirit, will prevail and overcome. Me-
ditate upon them for the establishing of thy
weak faith. Consider, first, the covenant.
Salvation is not a thing of chance, or left to
man's will or power; but it was contrived by
the blessed Trinity in the covenant of grace,
and every thing belonging to it was perfectly
settled. It is said to be, Q Sam. xxiii. v5. an
everlasting covenant, ordered in all things,
and sure. O thou of little faith, why then
dost thou doubt ? What ! doubt of God's
love ? Here is a covenant springing from his
mere love, and from everlasting. Doubt of
'ts being well contrived ! Infinite wisdom or-

46
ders it in all things. Doubt of its being
well executed ! It is in all things sure, sure
as God's almighty power and faithfulness caa
make it. What motives are here for the
strengthening of thy faith? May the Lord
render them effectual.

Reflect, secondly, upon the undertakings
of the Lord Christ, the surety of this cove-
nant There was nothing left out of this
covenant ; it was ordered in all things be-
longing to salvation, and Christ undertook to
perform all things on the part of his Father,
that his law might be magnified, and his jus-
tice made honourable and glorious ; and on
the part of the sinner, that he might be saved
from all evil, and entitled to all good. And
being God and man united in one Christ, he
was a proper surety to reconcile God to man^
and to reconcile man to God. May these
things then sink deep into thy heart, that
thy surety has undertaken the whole of thy
salvation, to do all for thee, and all in thee^
and all by thee. What canst thou desire
more for the settling of thy faith?

3. Perhaps thou wilt say, his undertak-
ings were great ; but has he fulfilled them ?

47
YeSj and so perfectly, that he is able to save
to the uttermost. He was called Jesus, be-
cause he was to save his people from their
sins ; as their surety, he was to fulfil the law
for them by his obedience, and to suffer the
pains and penalties of it by his death and
passion. Accordingly, in the fulness of time,
he was manifest in the flesh, and came to do
the will of his Father : of his obedience to
that will he thus speaks. '' I have finished
the work which thou gavest me to do." Of
his suffering that will, he said with his last
breath, '^ It is finished." Observe, whatever
he undertook to do in his life and death, was
finished ; and it was demonstrated, that, as
man's surety, he had done and suffered every
thing ordered in the covenant, by his resur-
rection from the dead : for then did the Fa-
ther declare him to be the Son of God with
power. Will not all this satisfy thee, O thou
of little faith ? Here is one more cause of
thy doubting removed ; thou canst not deny
but Christ has finished every thing he under-
took ; and, in consequence thereof, he has all
power in heaven and earth, to bestow a full

48

and finished salvation. What canst thou
now object?

4. Does a thought arise in thy heart ? It
is finished ; but is it so freely given that such
an umvorthy creature as I am, nriay partake
of it ? Yes, it comes to thee in the way of a
free gift. Great, inestimable, and eternal as
it is, yet it is all thine in receiving. Not he
who worketh, but he who believeth, is justifi^
ed from all things. It is by faith that be-
lievers are justified and sanctified; are
strengthened and comforted in their walk —
by faith they fight against all their enemies,
and by faith they conquer and lay hold of
eternal life. And, therefore, it is all of faith,
that it might be by grace. Salvation is
wrought out and finished by thy Surety, given
to thee freely ; continued with all its blessings
in time and through eternity, as a free gift, to
the praise of the glory of free grace. Why,
therefore, art thou discouraged ? Hast thou
nothing to buy with ? Then obey the Lord's
command — Come and buy free salvation
without money and without price. How
should this motive still add to the establish-

I

^>

49
meat of thy faith ? For there thou seest what-
ever thou wantest is thine by believing. Thou
mayest have it freely by grace. It is treasur-
ed up for thee in the fulness of thy dear Sa-
viour, and thou canst not honour him more,
than to make free use of it. What dost
thou say to this ? Hast thou any thing to ob-
ject? Canst thou find any fault with the cove-
nant of grace, or with the undertakings of
the God-man in it? No, certainly; the co-
venant was well ordered in all things and
sure ; and what the surety of the covenant
undertook, he has perfectly fulfilled. Salva-
tion is finished on his part — he has glorified
the law by his infinitely perfect obedience
— he has made divine justice honourable by
his suff^erin^s and death — he has brought in
everlasting righteousness for his people, and
\yill bring; them to everlasting; g;lorv : for he has
already taken possession of. it for them as e
head of the body of the church; and he nas
all power in heaven and earth, to save them
day by day, until he make them partakers of
his eternal salvation. What can thy heart
wish for more than such a Saviour, and such

E

60

a salvation ? O ! be not faithless, theil, but be-
lieving; and if thou hast any doubts left, en-
deavour to have them cleared up by reading
and prayer, until thy faith be perfectly set-
tled on the divinity of God thy Saviour, and
the infinite sufficiency of his salvation. These
two points lay at the very foundation of the
christian religion. They must be supposed
in all its principles, and built upon in all its
practice; therefore, being of universal influ-
ence, if they be thoroughly established, thy
faith will be steadfast, and thy life well order-
ed and comfortable. Examine then, and
prove thyself here before thou readest any
further. Dost thou believe Christ to be true
and very God, in every perfection and attri-
bute equal with the Father? And is his a full
and a free salvation? All the following direc-
tions depend upon, and can only profit thee,
so far as thou believest these two points.
Look w^ell then to thy establishment in them.
If it be strong, the life of faith will be steady
and prosperous; but if it be weak, thou wilt
be liable to be tost about continually with
errors, and overcome with temptations, e&-

6\

pecially with those to which a legal spirit
will expose thee, as I purposed to show un-
der the

Third general head ; in which is to be con-
sideredj how the little children in Christ, for
want of being established in the belief of his
Godhead, and of his full and free salvation,
labour under many doubts ; a legal spirit
working with their unbelief, puts them upon
reasoning continually against being saved
freely by grace through faith.

He is of a legal spirit, who is under the
law, and apprehends himself bound to keep
it as the condition of life, requiring of him,
*^ Do this, and thou shalt live." In his under-
standing he sees this, and no other way to
life ; in his will he is continually inclined to
it, and in his heart he loves it ; because he
fancies it is in his own power to attain life
in this way, and he can merit it by his own
works, which mightily gratifies his self-love,
and indulges his pride. This legal spirit
reigns over all men in their natural state,
but does not discover its tyranny, until it
be opposed ; and then so soon as the soul

5^

is quickened from a death in trespasses and
sins, it begins to fight, trying to keep the
poor sinner in bondage by its legal workings
and strivings, and putting him upon seeking
for some good disposition or qualification
in himself, on account of which God should
love him. Thus the awakened soul under
the spirit of bondage, always seeks deliver-
ance by the works of that law^ which can
do nothing more than bring him to the
knowledge of sin, discover to him the ex-
ceeding sinfulness of it; and the exceeding
great punishment w^hich it deserves ; by
ivhich means it is always nourishing the
doubts and fears of unbelief. And after
the Lord has in a measure removed them
by a clear discovery of the salvation that is
in Jesus, and by the gift of faith, j^et still
this legal spirit will be trying to bring the
soul into bondage again to fear ; and it too
often prevails. Young believers find it the
worst enemy they have to deal with. It is
a sly, subtle foe, that seems to intend them
a kindness, while it is always on the side of
their greatest enemy. It w ould appear tQ

63
them to be actuated by a zeal for God, but
it is to eclipse the glory of the Lord Christ,
to take away the all-sufficiency of his sal-
vation, and to rob them of their great joy
and peace in believing.

If anv one should ask, how this leg-al
spirit comes to have such power over man-
kind ? The scripture informs us,

First, that all men, being God's creatures,
are under the law to him, bound to keep
it ; or bound, if they transgress, to suffer the
threatened pains and penalties. In this
state man was created, and in it all men
are by nature ; and therefore there is in us
all a continual leaning to the law, and a de-
sire to attain righteousness by the works of
it. We are all wedded to this way of gain-
ing God's favour. The apostle says, there
is a marriage union between us and the law,
and, like an husband, it has dominion over
us as long as it liveth ; so that ^e oannot
be married to Christ, until that be dead
^^herein we were held. You may see this
^Hkhe Jews. Kow does ]Moses labour to

oPing them off from an opinion of their own
E S2

54

righteousness? And a greater than Moses
has done the same in his discourses against
the scribes and pharisees : yea, tiie apostles
of our Lord were forced to write and preach
against this leaning to the law, it gave such
disturbance to the true disciples of Christ.
And notwithstanding the scripture arguments
against it, yet we have great numbers among
us, who seek for a justifying righteousness
by the works of the law. And they are put
upon seeking this.

Secondly, from their ignorance of the law.
They are not acquainted with its nature;
for it demands what they cannot pay. It
insists upon an obedience, spiritual, perfect
and uninterrupted : for the least offence, if
but in thought, it comes with its fearful
sentence, Cursed is every one who continu-
cth not in all things that are written in the
book of the law to do them. On him who
does not continue in all things, and not one
man ever did, this sentence takes place ; and
if he w as to live a thousand years he could
not da any thing to repeal it. The law will
always be to him the ministration of condem-

55

nation, and the ministration of death, and
that is all it can do for him. It provides no
remedy, and gives him no liope, but leaves
him condemned to tlie first and to the se-
cond death ; and yet such is the blindness
of the sinner, that he will be still leaning to
the law, and afraid to trust wholly to the
righteousness of Christ ; and this arises,

Thirdly, From his ignorance of Christ's
righteousness, which is inifinitely perfect,
and wants no works of the law to be joined
w ith it in the justifying of a sinner : because
it is the righteousness of God, wrought out
by the God-man for his people; and it is the
righteousness of faith : they receive it by faith
without w^orks; so that it is directly opposite
to the righteousness of a legal spirit. Hence
we have many among us, great professors
too, who are ignorant of God's righteous-
ness ; they have not been entirely brought oft*
from a legal bottom, and therefore they talk
of being justified without a justifying righte-
ousness, which if God was to do, he would
be unrighteous; and which, as he has declar-
ed he will not do; their iancied justification

56

leaves them still in their sins. They dare
not put their whole trust and confidence in
the righteousness of Christ imputed unto sin-
ners, and made theirs by faith. They have
many fears about imputed righteousness, al-
though the apostle has not scrupled to mention
it eleven times in one chapter, Rom. iv. and
these fears make them read the scripture with
such prejudice that they say they cannot find
the expression, y^/V/z in the 7vghteousness of
Christ., in all the bible. They may find the
sense of the expression in Moses and in all
the prophets, and the very words in 2 Pet.
i. 1. " Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle
of Jesus Christ, to them who have obtained
like precious faith with us in, (the Greek is l^,)
in the righteousness of God and our Saviour
Jesus Christ." Here is failh in the righteous-
ness of Christ, with several glorious titles to
recommend it, namely, it is the righteous-
ness of God, of God our Saviour, of Jesus
Christ. From whence can men's opposition to
this w^ay of justification arise, but from their
not being convinced by the Spirit of God of
the necessity of Christ's righteousness ? It is

his peculiar office to convince of this truth.
No teaching but his can do it. O, that he
may do it in the hearts of those, who, out of
zeal for God, though not accordmg to know-
ledge, eclipse the glory of the Lord, and rob
afflicted consciences of their comfort by
opposing imputed righteousness ! It is a right-
eousness of so high and heavenly a nature,
wrought out by another, and so wonderful a
person ; is bestowed as a free gift upon the
chief of sinners, w^hereby alone they obtain re-
mission of their sins, and are made partakers
of the kingdom of heaven; and they receive
it by faith only, without works, which a legal
spirit always wants to mix with it, that no
one could ever believe in it, unless it were
given him from above. May it be given
to those professors who cannot yet submit to
the righteousness of Christ to see their want
of it, and with the heart to believe in it
unto salvation.

Reader, hast thou not found what an
enemy this legal spirit is to thy peace and
joy, and how it is always inclining thee to
some self-righteousnesS; through thy igno-

58

r^nce of the righteousness of the law, and
of the righteousness of faith? And wouldst
thou gladly be delivered from it? Know
then that nothing can subdue it; but the
bringing into thy conscience a better hope
from a better righteousness, than that of the
law; and when thou art enabled to plead it
there against all the charges of sin and satan,
then thou wilt stand fast in the liberty
wherewith Christ hath made thee free. His
is a better righteousness : it is infinitely per-
fect and everlasting, even the righteousness
of God ; by faith in this righteousness thou
shalt be saved from the law, and shalt re^-
eeive remission of sins : through it the Father
doth accept thee, and give thee the Spirit of
his Son to lead and comfort and sanctify thee;
he doth love thee and bless thee, as his dear
child, making all things work together under
him for thy good, and keeping thee by his
mighty power through faith unto salvation : so
that in and on account of this righteousness
thou shalt be saved from all the evils of sin,
and receive all spiritual blessings in earth
and heaven. And this thou shalt have freely^

59
without any merit, or work ot the law : tor
this righteousness comes wholly by grace, and
is for thee, a sinner, as such; and is to justify
thee from the condemnation of the law ; to
turn its curses into blessings, and its threat-
ened punishments into happiness. And this
it can do for thee perfectly and everlastingly;
so that being found in this righteousness,
there is no grace promised in time, or glory
in eternity, but it shall be thine. The Lord
God promises them to thee in the fullest and
freest manner; to thee, without any exception
or limitation, being a sinner, and ungodly,
though oneof the vilest and basest; yet to thee,
as such, is the word of this salvation sent.
And it will be all thine in the comfortable
enjoyment of it, through believing. Thou art
to brinor nothinjr to recommend thee, but
that thou art a sensible sinner, and thy right
and title to a finished salvation is clear from
the warrant of God's word, when thou
believest with thy heart in the righteousness
of Christ. The divine command is, believe mi
the Lord Jesus Christ : the promise is,
^vhosocver believeth in him, shall not perish;

60

shall receive remission of sins ; shall be jus-
tified from all things ; shall have everlasting
life. Why then dost thou lean to works^**
since salvation is by faith? Why dost thou
disquiet thyself about attaining the righteous-
ness of the law, and thereby suffer the law to
disturb the peace of thy conscience, since
thou hast a far better righteousness, which
ought to reign there, even the righteousness
which is of God by faith ? For thou art a
believer, and although a w^eak one, yet thou
hast as good a title to Christ and his
righteousness as the strongest believer in
the world : because thy right comes from the
free grant of the word of grace, and is
apprehended by faith, by which all things
are become thine. Thou art an heir of them
all by faith in Christ Jesus. O, thou of
little faith, why then dost thou doubt?
Remember, how highly thou dishonorest
the infinite love and free salvation of Jesus;
and how^ much thou robbest thy own soul of
its peace, and of its growth in grace, by thy
weak and little faith. Think upon these
thinjrs, and intreat the Author and Finisher
of this faith to strengthen it in thy soul.

61
But perhaps thou wilt say, How shall 1
so live upon Christ with luy weak faith that
it may grow stronger, and I may get the
better of my legal spirit r Here is the re-
medy ; may it be to thee effectual ! The
scripture directs thee to look at Christ God-
man as thy surety, who for thee has wrought
out a finished salvation ; and whatever he
has promised in his word relating to this
salvation, thou art to trust him for the
making of it good, and to depend upon his
faithfulness and power to make it good to
thee. Whatever, therefore, he has done and
suffered to save thee from the curse of the
law, and from the spirit of bondage, and to
make thee free with the liberty ol the chil-
dren of God, thou art to live upon him for
these blessings ; and by faith to be always
receiving them from iiim in the fullest and
largest measure, that he promises them to
thee. Look not into thyself tiien for any
qualification, but look unto Jesus ; that
thou mayest experience more of that liberty
wherewith he hath made thee free, and

ma3'est be no longer a babe, unskilful in the

F

02

word of righteousness. Hear what he says,
'^ If the Son shall make you free, ye shall
be free, indeed ; free from the law of
sin and death, free from condemnation at
the bar of God : and being freed from
the bondage of corruption, ye shall be
brought into the glorious liberty of the
children of God, heirs of God, and joint
heirs with Christ." This is the freedom
which God promises thee : it is very ex-
tensive, has many noble privileges, and vast
blessings. By faith all is thine. See how
perfectly believers have received all, and
may thy faith be like theirs. Rojn. viii. 15.
8^c. ^' Ye have not received the spirit of
bondage again to fear, but ye have received
the spirit of adoption, whereby we pray,
Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth
witness to our spirits, that we are the chiK
dren of God ; and if children, then heirs,
heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ."
Observe what is here said of the believing
Romans, and by faith thou shalt experience
the same, as perfectly as they did.

1, They were freed from the spirit of

63
bondage, ilnder which they ouce had la-
boured :

12. They were so freed as to be under it
no more ; they were not to fear again, as
heretofore : for,

3. They had received the Spirit of adop-
tion, and he gave them tiie evidence of their
sonship. Upon which,

4. They believed God was their recon-
ciled Father, and they had boldness and
access to him with confidence. And, there-
fore,

5. They lived in light, and walked ia
love, like his children and heirs, who were
to abide in his house for ever.

See also what threat freedom the Gala?
tians had, chap. iv. 4, (^r. '^ God sent
forth his Son, made of a woman, made un-
der the law, to redeem them that were un-
der the law, that we might receive the adop-
tion of sons. And because ye are sons,
God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son
into your hearts, crying Abba, Father :
wherefore thou art no more a servant, but
a son, and if a son, then an heir of God

64

through Christ." O what treasures of grace
and consolation are there in this scripture,
tending to subdue thy legal spirit. Con-
sider some of them.

1. All men having broken the law, and
being under the curse of it, Christ was made
under the law, that the law might reach
him as the surety of his people ; accord-
ingly,

2. By his obedience to the precepts, and
by his suffering the penalties of the law, he
redeemed his people, who were under the
law ; so that,

3. They are no longer in bondage to it,
but being made free, and having received
the adoption of sons,

4. They have the spirit of liberty sent
into their hearts, to witness to them, that
Christ fulfilled the law for them ; and,

5. That the Father loves them, as his
dear children, and they love him and serve
him without fear, crying to him Abba, Fa-
ther;

6. Wherefore they are no longer servants
in bondage to any one, but are made free in-

05

deed, being now the sons of God through
faith in Christ Jesus. And,

7. If sons, then heirs of God, and free to
inherit whatever he has promised to give
his children in earth and heaven.

These and many more arguments are con-
tained in" this one scripture, tending to sub-
due thy legal spirit, and to bring th^e to live
more comfortably by faith upon Christ, w^ho
as thy surety has fully kept the law for thee
in his life and death. Thou art to consider
thj'self now^, not under the law, but under
grace, and therefore absolutely free from the
condemning power of the law. This thou
must maintain against all the carnal reason-
ings of thy legal spirit, Christ is my law-
jul)ilki\ And thou wilt glorify him for re-
deeming thee from under the law, and wilt
live in sweet peace in thine ow n conscience,
while thou keepest fast hold of this most
blessed and eternally precious truth. May
all thy reading and prayer, and the use of
all means help thee to grow in the knowledge
and experience of it !

There is a very strong bias and leaning in
F2

66

weak believers to a legal spirit^ which ought
to make them read such promises as I have
been mentioning over and over again, that
God may thereby encourage them to main-
tain the liberty which he hath given them in
Christ Jesus, and to stand fast in it against
the fresh attacks of the devil and unbelief
They should be always jealous over them-
selves, and watchful against their enemies :
because after they have in a truly gospel
and evangelical way through grace, got their
legal spirit subdued ; yet if it be not in the
same way kept subdued, it will break out
with more power than ever, and will be like-
ly to bring them into bondage again to fear.
And this may, and I have known it often
happen, after they had obtained some great
victories over it, and finding it not stir for
some time, they flattered themselves they
should have but little trouble with it any
more. Thus they were drawn off their
guard, which gave room to their legal spirit
io exert itself again with vigour. This sur-
prised the weak believers, put them upon
reasoning and doubting, whether all had

67

been riglit with them before ; and so at the
very time vviieil they should liave taken the
shield of faith, and should have been making
use of it, they were questioning whether
they had any, which left them unarmed in
the midst of their enemies, an easy prey
to every temptation ; but an invisible power
kept them safe, although they were not com-
fortable in themselves.

For the encouragement of persons in this
case, that they may presently recover them-
selves out of the snare of the devil, they
should observe,

1. What the Scripture says of a legal
spirit, describing it to be one of the members
of their corrupt nature ; one of the affections
of the flesh, which will never be quite dead
while the breath is in their bodies. It is an
enemy that will be always fighting against
the Holy Spirit : for they are directly con-
trary the one to the other; and therefore be-
lievers nmst not dream of any such victory
as leaves no more fighting; but must ex-
pect sharp battles vuih their legal spirit^ as
long as ever they live. And,

68

Secondly, The same means, by which >
they formerly obtained victory, must be made
use of again. As often as the legal spirit is
tempting, Christ's strength must be op-
posed to it, and his strength must be brought
into the soul by faith in his righteousness,
as it is v/ritten, Isa. xlii. 24. " Surely
shall one sav, in the Lord have I righteous-
ness and strencrth." Righteousness comes
first, and is established in the conscience,
that it may be pleaded and maintained there
against all the charges and accusations of
the law. And as often as these arise
afresh, still they must be answered and si-
lenced with this plea — in the Lord Christ
have I righteousness ; he is my law-fulfiller,
and I depend upon his promised strength to
make me stand fast in that liberty where-
with he hath made me free. And the soul
must not only thus quiet and stay itself by
faith upon the righteousness and strength of
Christ for victory over the present tempta-
tion, but must also.

Thirdly, continually do this ; because there
is in our nature a continual opposition to it

69
The experience of which is the believer's
safety. The abiding sense of his being na-
turally inclined to lean to legal dependences,
and therefore his want of Christ every mo-
ment to justify him by his righteousness, and
to keep him by his strength, will be the
surest way to prevent his falling into bond-
age ; for this will keep him very jealous over
himself, and will show^ him the necessity of
living out of himself for righteousness and
strength ; and wdiile he liveth upon Christ for
these by faith, he shall not be overcome by
any enemy.

The glory of the incarnate God, and his
infinite sufficiency to save, have not a great-
er enemy than a legal spirit ; and, therefore,
I have enlarged upon this point, that believ-
ers might be convinced from the word of
God they were saved from the condemnation
of the law^ They will never live comforta-
bly, till they see the law dead and buried,
and then willingly give up themselves to be
espoused to Christ, who will make them free
indeed. And when they have learned of him
to enjoy and walk in their Christian liberty.

ro

then they will be better acquainted with the
warfare between nature and grace, the old
man and the new, the flesh and the spirit,
which warfare is the

Fourth great hindrance, that stops the
growth of faith in weak believers. They are
unskilful in it, soon tired of it, and often
likely to be defeated. They do not enter in-
to the battle strong in the Lord, and in the
power of his nnight; nor are they certain, if
they fall in battle, they shall be saved with
an eternal salvation. These are great dis-
couragements ; and until these be removed,
they cannot fight the good fight of faith, like
good soldiers of Christ Jesus.

The case is thus : There is in every believ-
er an old man, and a new man---nature and
grace— flesh and spirit; and these are oppo-
site and contrary, the one to the other, in
their principles and actions : they are always
desiring different things, and pursuing differ-
ent ends, which occasions a continual war
between them. The flesh lusteth always a-
gainst the spirit, and has many and mighty al-
lies on its side; armies of lusts, the faculties

71

of soul and body to bring forth ^in, hosts of
fallen an eels, and all the world that laveth iil
wickedness. But the new man, renewed in
the spirit of his mind has a reconciled God
on his side ; and, therefore, he need not fear
what any enemy can do unto him, but may
bravely face the stoutest of tiiem, even death
itself, relying upon tkat sure word of pro-
mise, / Xi^ill never leave thee nor forsake
thee. Here is the believer's encouragement
to fight, his God will never leave him ; here
he obtains victory every day, his God ne-
ver forsakes him : and after he has fought
the sood ficrht of faith, his God and Saviour
will make him more than conqueror ; he w ill
send death to kill sin : and then the believer
will never more have temptation from it, no¥
sorrow about it. But till that happy time
come, he must be fio^htins; acjainst his corrupt
nature and all its allies. No peace can be
made with them, not even a truce. He must
expect no kind of favour from them ; be-
cause they are God's irreconcileable ene-
mies ; and, therefore, as long as he is in the
^vorld, he must be fighting acrainst the world :

72

as long as he has a body of flesh, he must
oppose it with its affections and lusts ; be-
cause they war against the soul ; and as long
as he is in the reach of temptation, he must
oppose the tempter, steadfast in the faith,
never putting off his armour, until the Lord
give him a discharge.

The believer's peace within, and victory
without, are closely connected with the clear
understanding of this case, and, although 1
have stated it from the w^ord of God, and
agreeably to the sense in which the church of
God has always interpreted it, yet, for its
more full confirmation, some testimonies must
be brought, which speak to the very point ;
first, to the believer's having in him an old
man and a new ; secondly, that these two are |
at war ; and, thirdly, that they fight together
till death.

First, The apostle says to the saints at
Ephesus, chap. iv. 22, &c. '' Put off the old
man, put on the new." Mind, the same
persons had both in them an old man, cor-
rupt according to his deceitful lusts, daily to
be put off, and a new man to be put on, and

73

renewed day by day in the spirit of his mind.
The old man is described to have a body of
sin with all his members, his affections, and
lusts ; these must not be obeyed, but mortifi-
ed. '^ Let not sin reign in your mortal bo-
dy, that ye should obey it in the lusts there-
of, neither yield ye your members as instru-
ments of unrighteousness unto sin." l{o7n.
vi. 12, 13. The saints at Rome had sin in
them, and it w anted to reign as it had done
heretofore in the lusts thereof; but,

Secondly, They were not to obey them.
There was in them a new man, who w as to
fight against those fleshly lusts which war
against the soul. " The flesh lusteth against
the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh, and
these are contrary the one to the other; so
that ye cannot do the things that ye would."
GaL V. 17. Here is battle between two, the
flesh, the w hole nature of the old man ; and
the spirit, the new man born again of the
spirit : the cause of it is, the one wills what
the other hates ; each wants to carry his own
will into execution, and these being contrary
the one to the other, they fight for mastery :

G

74

in the battle, the flesh, the old man, is defeat-
ed, and the spirit working in the new man
conquers ; and this lusting and lighting is in
one and the same person, in him v\^io is said
to be not under the law, to be led by the spi-
rit, and to live and to walk in the spirit. In
Rom. viii. 7. the apostle calls the flesh the
carnal mind, and he says, '' It is enmity
against God : for it is not subject to the law
of God, neither indeed can be," Since it is
enmity itself, there is no reconciling it; it will
not, nay, it cannot obey God ; but it is ever
lusting and rebelling against his law\ The
nature of the battle is described at length in
Rom. vii. The chapter consists of three
parts : first, the believer's liberty from the
law, to ver. 6. — secondly, he answers some ob-
jections made against the law from its nature
and properties, and that in his own person;
because it had been the means of bringing
him to the right knowledge of sin, ver. 7. —
and sin being discovered by the law through
the corruption of nature, raged and rebelled
the more in him, ver. 8. — and the law had
made him sensible of God's anger against

75

sin, and of his deserving death and hell for
it, ver. 9 — 14 : and from thence to the end of
the chapter, he describes the conflict between
the old man and the new ; the one consent-
ing to the law, and the other resisting the
law. In this conflict there were three sharp
attacks ; in the first, he found in himself two
contrary principles of action, always resist-
ing each other, the old man fighting against
the new, from ver. 14 — 18. secondly, when
the will of the new man w^as good, through
the opposition of the old man, it had not the
desired effect, ver. 19, 20. and, thirdly, he
felt in himself two contrary laws, both requir-
ing obedience ; the law of the members war-
ring and rebelling against the law of God
written in the renewed mind : for no sooner
did his mind, guided by the Holy Spirit, set
about any thing which God's law command-
ed, but he found the law of the members
making a strong resistance. This he groaned
under as an heavy burden, and was humbled
for it before God, expecting pardon from him,
and victory every day, and perfect deliver-
ance at last.

76

I cannot enlarge upon this chapter. Turn
to it, and read it over upon the plan which
I have here laid down, remembering all
along, that St. Paul is describing himself.
He ten times says it is himself he is speak-
ing of, from ver 7. to ver. 14. where he is
showing; of what use the law had been to
him, when he was first convinced of sin; and
from thence to the end he mentions him-
self thirty-eight times. / the apostle Paul,
I myself] my very self, and not another; /
myself airij now at this present, at the very
time ot writing this ; 1 myself] whom the law
of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath
made free from the law^ of sin and death ;
I myself, to whom now there is no condem-
nation; for I am in Christ Jesus, and I walk
after the Spirit, am still at war with sin that
dwelleth in me, with the old man, Avith the
flesh, with the law of the members, with
the body of sin. Although I have a new
nature, and God is on my side, yet it is a
hard and a sharp battle. I find it so. The
length of it makes it stili more painful, and
forces me to cry out, '' O wTetched man

1

77
that I am! who shall deliver me from the
body of this death ?" Paul was not out of
God's favour, or accursed ; but, as the
word rendered xcretched means, he was
weary and tired with this continual fighting ;
troubled with the filthy motions of sin rising
and striving, and rebelling in him, and giv-
ing him no rest ; this was such a hard war-
fare, that he was ever looking out and pray-
ing, '' Who shall deliver me r" He meant
wholly, perfectly, deliver me from this cor-
ruption. He sighed for it, not because he
doubted of an absolute deliverance, but
because he had sure and certain hope of it ;
not because he was ignorant who his de-
liverer was, but because he had steadfast
faith in him. '' Thanks be to God, through
Jesus Christ." This comforted him, and
kept him fighting on wdth courage. He
knew^ that he should gain the victory, and
through Christ, not through his own virtues
or W'Orks, but through faith in the life and
death, in the blood and righteousness of
Christ, he should at last be more than con-
fjueror.

G2

78

Since this was the case with the apostk,
who can expect a discharge from this war-
fare, until death ? What ! says one, is it to
continue so long? Yes. The scripture is
very clear to this point, as I was, thirdly, to
show.

The seat of the corruption of the old man
or of the flesh is not only in our nature, but
is also our very nature itself That which
is born of the flesh is flesh, altogether carnal
and corrupt. It is a filthy fountain, always
sending forth impure strearris ; and therefore
while the believer is in the body, he must
either be fighting against the flesh, or else
be led captive by it. We that are, says
Paul, in this tabernacle of flesh, do groan,
being burdened with sin and sorrow. And
when did they expect an end of their
groaning, and rest from their burdens ? Not
till the tabernacle was dissolved by death.
Ourselves, says he, who have the first fruics
of the spirit, even we ourselves groan with-
in ourselves, waiting for the adoption ; to
wit, the redemption of our body. The body
will be redeemed from the grave, and raised

79

like the glorious body of Jesus Christ ; this
is promised, and this we wait for, and until
death deliver us from this mortal, corrupti-
ble body, we shall be groaning under the
burden of it. This was St. PaiiVs case.
He had long sighed to be discharged from
his warfare, and like an old weary tired
soldier, he wished the hard tedious campaign
was ended, that he might enter into rest ;
but hear with what joy he at last cries out,
" I have fought the good fight." Have
fought it ? What T is the battle over ? Yes,
just over. — ^' I am now ready to be offered,
and the time of my departure is at hand —
I have finished my course." — My battle and
my life are finished together, and so must
thine, reader : Thou art to resist unto blood,
strivinc^ arainst sin : for thou art called to
fight the good fight of faith until thou lay hold
of eternal life. Since thou art a believer,
however weak, and hast a new man in thee,
as well as an old, they \\\\\ be fighting
against each other, till thou finish thy
course. And if this discourage thee, consi-
der what God has spoken concerning this

^0

warfare, and what exceeding great and pre-
cious promises he has made to them who
are engaged in it. He has promised to par-
don those corruptions of the old man, to
subdue them, and to deliver thee from the
very being of them. Canst thou desire
more ? Mark well what he says to thee, and
be not faithless, but believing.

First, although the believer has an old man
corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, al-
w^ays warring against the new man, yet the
Lord God has promised a ft^ee and a full
pardon; because he has imputed sin, all
thy sin, to the Son of his love, who bore it
in his own body upon the tree. After the
Apostle in Rom, vii. had described the bat-
tle between them, he makes this inference;
*' There is therefore now no condemnation
to them who are in Christ Jesus," — to
them who are in Christ, united by faith as
members to him their head, and thereby
partakers of his righteousness, there is noWj
while they are fighting against their corrup-
tions, no condemnation ; '^ For, says he, the |
law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath

81

made me free from the law of sin and of
death," Bom. viii. 2. These words demon-
strate, that Paul was speaking of himself in
the 7th chapter. /Mthough he had the cor-
ruption of nature still in him, and was fight-
ing against it, yet being in Christ by faith
he was made free from the guilt and punish-
ment due to it; therefore he had, and every
believer shall have, a full pardon. In con-
sequence of which,

Secondly, he shall subdue the corruptions
of the old man. This is promised, and shall
be made good. The Lord encourages be-
lievers to oppose the reign of sin in their
mortal body, and not to obey it in the lusts
thereof, with this promise — '^ Sin shall not
have dominion over you," Rom, vi, 14. —
Ye are under grace, and grace is almighty
to subdue sin : because it is atoned for. In
like manner he says to the Galatians, v. 16.
'' Walk in the spirit, and ye shall not fulfil
the lusts of the flesh." Ye shall not fulfil
them either in word or deed. The lusts of the
flesh will be in you, but not one of them shall
reign over you : the spirit of Jesus will teach

82

you to resist, and enable you to overcome
them; yea, to crucify and mortify them day
by day. And besides this the Lord has
promised,

Thirdly, deliverance from the very being
of thy corruptions. The time is coming,
when they shall not exist in the believer, nor
any more be suffered to tempt him. He
shall be made holy and blameless, without
spot or ,wrinkle of sin, or any such thing. In
this perfect state the Father now sees him,
and accepts him in the beloved, and after
death admits the soul into his presence,
cleansed with the blood, clothed with right-
eousness, adorned with the graces of his
dear Son ; and body, soul, and spirit, shall
be in this perfect state in the day of our
Lord Jesus Christ — ^they shall be unblame-
able in holiness before God, even our
father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ with all his saints. It doth not yet
appear how great a perfection of holiness
this will be; but we know that when he shall
appear, we shall then be like him : for wx
ahall see him as he is.

S3

Such are the divme promises.- And dost
thou not see from hence, reader, what great
things thou art to expect in thy present
warfare ? If thou sayest, How shall I attain
all that is promised ? Know^ that it is to
come to thee by faith. Christ, and all that he
has, is thine, upon believing ; and particular-
ly a free pardon for indwelling sin, as well as
for any other. Consider him as thy surety,
God- man, taking thy sins and sufferings upon
himself, to save thee from them. By his life
and death he has obtained full salvation,
which he gives to thee freely ; and thou
hast received it. Thou canst not deny but
thou art a believer, and it is written —
^' All that believe are justified from all
things," from the corruption of their nature
as well as the corruptions of their lives.
Knovv then, that there is no condemnation to
thee. The Judge himself says so. And w hen
he acquits, who shall lay any thing to thy
charge ? Here thou must hold through the
power of the Lord, if thou wouldest have
thy spiritual warfare successfully conducted.
Abide by the sentence of God, and keep

1

84

condemnation out of thy conscience. Have
it ready to plead against all charges, from
whatever quarter they come, that Christ
hath made me free from the law of sin and
of death.

Here I must refer thee back to what has
been said concerning Christ and his finished

K..J

salvation. Thou now seest how necessary
it is thou shouldest be well established in
the belief of his Godhead, and the infinite
sufficiency of his salvation : so that he is
both able and willing to save thee from all
thy sins, and all the misery due to them,
and to bestow upon thee eternal happiness,
and to bring thee by his almighty power
safe to the eternal enjoyment of it. All
this he will give thee, not for working, but
in believing. I entreat thee, therefore, to
read again and again, what has been before
said upon these subjects ; and the good
Lord help thee to apply it to thy present
case, that thou mayest be fully assured thou
art in Christ, and that there is no condem-
nation to thee.

But perhaps thou art ready to say

8J

Steadfastly do 1 believe all tliis ; but 1 do
not find such victory over my corruptions
as I could ^A ish ; nay, I think at times they
ra^e more than ever. Here thou forgettest
the Lord thy strength. Thou dost not
make use of him, and therefore thou fail-
est. The woman with the bloody issue
grew worse and worse, till she went to
Christ : so wilt thou. Why is it given thee
to know Christ in the spirit, but that thou
shouldest go to him daily, and plead his pro-
mise— Lord, thou hast declared, that sin
shall not have dominion over thy people ; I
believe this word of thine cannot be broken;
and therefore, helpless in myself, I rely upon
thy faithfulness to save me from the domin-
ion of such and such a sin (as then tempts
thee) — Put forth thy power, O Lord Christ,
and get thyself glory in subduing my flesh,
^vith its affections and lusts. And then
trust him to make his word good, and wait
the event. Sooner shall heaven and earth
pass away, than sin, any sin thus left with
Christ to be subdued, shall reign over thee-

If thou sayest, I think I seek for victory
H

86

over sin in no other way, and yet I do not
attain it so completely as I desire ; de-
pend upon it thou art under some mistake :
for Christ is almighty to fulfil every pro-
mise in its largest sense and fullest mean-
ing ; and there never was a believer who
could justly charge him with the breach of
his word. Perhaps thou dost believe, that
power to subdue sin comes from Christ,
and thou art expecting it from him ; but
hast thou not some legal dependence, some
notion of thy own working together with
him ? Search and see. Dost thou commit
ALL to the Lord, who is to do all and in
ALL? Is the whole battle left to him? wis-
dom, and courage, and armour, and strength,
and patience, and victory, are all from the
Lord. If thou art not doing this simply,
thou art not living by faith upon Christ,
but thou art fighting in thine own strength,
^nd depending upon some inherent stock of
grace, or knowledge, or experience. While
these proud selfish motives put thee upon
asking his help, he will not give it thee :
because thou dost not wholly depend upon
liim for it

87
Or perhaps Christ does not appear on thy
side, because thou art proposing some
wrong end. Thou art working and striving
against sin to establish a righteousness of
thine own, which h to be some part of thine
acceptance before God ; and thou hast been
trying in thine own strength to get thy cor-
ruptions quite subdued, but they were too
strong for thee ; and therefore now thou art
glad to make use of Christ's help. And if
he would do the work for thee, then thou
wouldest have confidence in the flesh ; and
this thy fancied holiness would be the ground
of thy rejoicing before God. Is it not so?
If it be, thou wilt never succeed upon this
plan. Christ Vvill not give his glory to an-
other, nor put the crov> n of his gospel grace
upon the head of thy legal dependence.

Or perhaps thou art expecting from
Christ, what he has not promised, such a
victory over thy corruptions that they shall
not fight again for some time, or that they
shall be quite dead and buried. And so
they shall be in the Lord's appointed time.
But now he calls upon thee to fight against

8S

tKem, he provides thee armour for that puF-
pose, evea the whole armour of God; and
he requires thee to resist unto blood, striving
against sin, promising thee daily victory.
This is thy present state of warfare. To
this thou art now called, and there is no
discharge in this war. O beware then, as
thou lovest thy soul, of a false peace. Thou
wilt be sadly deluded, if thou ever suppo-
gest that thy fighting is over, before thy
course be finished. The good ftdit of faith
Jinust continue till death : for till then, cor-
ruption being in thee, thou must oppose it,
relying upon God for promised victory over
it. He is able to save thee from the very
being of it now, as well as in heaven. But
it is not his mind and will. Here he will
have thee to live by faith, which is ©very
moment to keep thee dependent upon Christ,
or thou wilt fall. This is to exalt his grace,
and to subdue thy selfish legal spirit, to
humble thy pride, to put thee upon prayer
and watchfulness, to malce sin more hateful,
and heaven more desirable, and to secure
the glory of every victory to him, whose

89

strength is perfected in thy weakness. These
are some of his gracious purposes in keep-
ing thee continually dependant upon his
strength; and if he has made thee willing to
fight and conquer to the praise of the glory
of his grace, then thou wilt experience
that blessed promise — '' sin shall not have
dominion over thee." And it will not be long
before sin shall not have a being in thee.
Reader, if thou hast fallen into these or
any other mistakes concerning the subduing
of thy corruptions, mind what is written, and
what is promised. Having first received,
through faith in the blood of Christ, the
pardon of thy sin, then as one of his good
soldiers thou art to fight against it all thy
life. He being on thy side promises to sub-
due sin for thee. Without him thou canst
do nothing in this warfare, and therefore thy
faith resting on his promise is to wait the
fulfilling of it. He has given thee his word,
that he will use his almighty power for this
purpose. To that word must thou look, be-
lieving that Christ will bring thee victory,

continually, if thy faith fail not ; greater^ as
H5

90

thy faith increases; complete, when the
good fight of faith shall be ended, and thou
shalt rest from thy labours. All this he
stands engaged to do, and his power is able
to fulfil his engagements, and thy faith will
bring thee happy experience of his power.
When corruptions rise, temptations are
strong, enemies numerous, dangers on every
. side, that is the time to glorify Christ, by
making use of his promised strength. Then
put thy trust in the Captain of thy salvation^
and fear not. Look unto Jesus, and look
at nothing but him. The battle is his. He
will fight for thee, and thou shalt hold thy
peace. Leave him to direct all, to do all^
and to finish all relating to it ; and then, as
he can get all the glory, thou shalt see what
a salvation he will bring thee. O that thy
faith did but reach to the extent of his
promises! How successful would be thy
spiritual warfare, such victories over thine
enemies, corruptions so subdued, the world
so crucified, satan so defeated, as thou canst
BOW scarce believe ? The Lord increase thy
faith. .Look up to him for it : because as thy

faith increases, let the battle grow hotter
and hotter ; thou wilt find thyself safer, and
more reason to give thanks to God through
Jesus Christ thy Lord.

For want of attending to the important
truths already considered, and of bringing
them into constant use and exercise, young
believers are liable to fall into another c;reat
mistake, which keeps their faith weak, and
stops its growth ; namely, a hearkening to
sense, and trusting to its reports ; w hich is the
fifth general head I purpose to consider.

They are seeking to be established, and
they think that they should have no doubt of
their being true believers, if they had but
the testimony of sense, and comfortable feel-
ings to assure them of it. And being used
to judge in this way in other matters, for it is
our strongest evidence in natural things, they
are disposed to expect the same in spiritual ;
and they are the rather disposed to it, be-
cause sensible comforts are promised in
Scripture : which being very desirable and
pleasing to nature, they are apt to covet
fhem too much, and from not regarding what

32
tiie Scripture says about them, they are apf
to seek them in a wrong way, and for a wrong
end. Sense judges from what it sees, and
draws its inferences from what it feels : so
that its report to the conscience, either of a
believer's state, or of his growth in it, is not
from unchangeable things, which w ould set-
tle the conscience in peace ; but from change-
able things, which leave room for continual
doubting. Sense also looks at the fruits of
faith, more than at the object of it ; and if
the believer has been misled, and taught to
confound these two together, he will be at
great uncertainty in judging of his state : for,
instead of making the word of God, he will
make his comforts the ground of his faith ;
and as these are more or less, so will his
faith be. When he has comfortable feel-
ings, then he will think himself a believer ;
and when he has none, then he will think
himself an unbeliever ; changing his judg-
ment of himself, as his feelings do, like the
wind ; and varying as his comforts do, like
the weather. This is a covnmon case. I
have seen the sad effects of it, in the lives

93

y>r many or my acquaintance, who, tVom be-
ing taught thus to judge of themselves, were
tost about for several years, up and down ;
now comforted, then doubtmg; and could not
get any solid establishment, till the word and
Spirit of God convinced thenikthat sense was
not to be the ground of their believing, nor
the object to which they were to look. Sense
judges by feeling, and reports what it sees.
Sense says, now^ I am in the favour of God ;
for I feel it. Now he is my God : for 1 find
him so, I am comforted. Now he demon-
strates it to me : for I feel nearness to him in
prayer, and sweet answ-ers. Now I am sure
my duties and services are acceptable : for I
am quite lively in them, and I come fron;i
them with warm affections. Now- I cannot
doubt, for X feel the assurance of his love to
me. And when sense has lost those comfort-
able feelings, then it draws contrary inferen-
ces— Now I am not in the favour of God,
for I dont feel it — Now he is not my God,
for I dont find him so, I am not comforted,
&c. What can be the issue of this, but
continual waverinsj and chanmnsr? For our

94

feelings are sometimes more, sometimes less,
as every believer experiences. What an un-
settled state, then, must he be in, who has
no way to judge of himself, but by those
changeable things ? What room does he leave'
for continual doubting, and what trouble and
misery does he thereby bring upon himself,
as well as dishonour to the unchangeable-
ness of God in his nature and promises ?

If the poor weak believer should say, I f
am convinced of this ; and I should be glad
to have my faith so fixed, that I might be
freed from doubts and fears. Then let it
rest upon the word of God, w hich is the on- J
ly ground of believing; and is, therefore, ^
called the word of faith, upon which faith is
built, and by which it is nourished, and grows
up. The believer should receive and rely
upon what God hath spoken, and because he
hath spoken it : for his word changeth not.
It abideth the same for ever ; therefore, what
it truly reports, stands upon an immoveable
rock. Sense and feeling may report things
contrary to it ; but the believer can silence
them with God has spokm it : for his faith

95
ijas evidence of things not seen, and he doss
not form his judgment by the things which
are seen, but by the things Mhich are not
seen. Generally speaking, faith judges
the very contrary to what sense does, and
will not believe what sense perceives. Abra-
ham against hope, believed in hope ; so do
all his children. They believe the pardon of
sin— victory over sin— and the death of sin
—the immortality of the body, though crum-
bled to, dust and atoms— the second com-
ing of Christ—and the eternal state of hap-
piness or misery. Faith looks at God's word,
calling the things which be not, as though
they were, and is commonly forced to con-
tradict sense. Sense judges from what it
sees— Faith from what God says. Sense is
governed by what appears-^Faith by what
God says shall be. Sense looks inward-
Faith looks outward. Faith can answer the
seeming contradictions which sense oppose^
to It, from the word of God, which cannot
be broken. And when sense is ready to
despau', and all its fine frames and feelings
are gone, then it is the believer's happy pri-
vilege still to trust in the Lord, and to have

96

a good hope, because of the word of his

grace.

But, perhaps, thou art ready to say, it is
Arritten, that there is great joy and peace in
believing, yea, joy unspeakable and full of
o-lory. True, these are what faith produces,
and not what it is. These are the fruits of
faith, which it brings forth in most abund-
ance from the inexhaustible fuhiess of Jesus.
The more simple the believer is, the more he
eyes Christ the object of faith, and the
word the ground of faith ; the more clear
and distinct will the actings of his faith be,
and consequently it will bring greater peace
into the conscience, and more joy into the af-
fections. But still these fruits are not faith :
no more than the fruit is the tree. The
fruits do not go before faith, but follow it and
m-ow from it. This is God's order. He
chives us his word to be the ground of our
believing ; and by believing, all things pro-
mised in the word, are made ours ; then we
go on comfortably, and are happy ; but when
sense is put in the place of the word, then
the consequence is, that weak believers have

y7

got a changeable rule to judge of themselves
by, which hinders them from being establish-
ed in believing, and from attaining the pro-
mised peace and joy.

Some may begin to object, What ! are you
against all lively frames, and sensible com-
forts ? No, God forbid. I would have them
spring from the right cause, that they might
be more pure and fixed than they common-
ly are. God's word and promises ^re an
unchangeable foundation to rest upon, even
when sensible feelings are gone ; because
Christ revealed in the word, and laid hold
of in the promises, changeth not. There-
fore, reader, for thine own sake and for the
glory of God, take heed what thou buildest
thy faith upon. Beware of making any
thing, that sense reports to thee, the ground
of it; but rest it upon that which abidethfor
ever. The word of God is a sure founda-
tion. It will never fail thee. Thou mayest
safely depend upon it, because it cannot be
broken; and steadfastly rely upon Christ to
make its promises good to thee. There's
thy object. Look at him. And since he

98
is thine, thy Saviour and thy God; make
use of him as such, and trust body and
soul, and all things belonging to them, in his
hands ; and among the rest, thy comforts.
Be content he should give them to thee as
seemeth to him good. Set not thy heart upon
them, nor follow him, as the multitude did,
for the sake of his loaves and fishes, and
the dainties that he gave them ; who, when
these were with-held, soon forsook their
kind Benefactor. Thou art by faith to make
up all thy happiness in him, and in him
only ; and he himself being thine, let him
give thee or take away what he will besides;
thou liust enoudi. What ! is not this com-
fort enough, that thou hast got the pearl of
great price, the infinitely rich, inestimably
precious Jesus, who has the wisdom of
God to contrive what is best for thee,
boundless love to dispose him, and almighty
power to enable him to give it thee? And he
has promised it ; canst thou desire more ?
Walk then with him by faith, and not by
sight. When the word of God is the ground
of thy faith, which rests there, and is grown

99
to a fixed settlement, then thou wilt be
cnal)led to go on comfortably, whatever thy
frames and feelings be : yea, when these
are at the lowest ebb, thou wilt not be
thereby discouraged. Suppose thou art
walking in darkness, thou canst walk by
faith ; because thou hast a promise, ^' Who
is among you that walketh in darkness and
hath no light? Let him trust in the name of
the Lord, and stay upon his God," Isa. 1.
10. Still let him trust and believe. Why ?
Because God is his God still. Mind that,
his God still ; this blessed relation still sub-
sists, and faith may draw comfort from it in
the darkest hour. Suppose thou art in hea-
viness through manifold temptations — the
word says to thee, '' heaviness may endure
for a night, but joy cometh in the moniing;"
here thou mayest quiet thy heavy heart, and
rest with confidence, till the Lord deliver
thee out of thy temptations. Suppose God
hideth his face from thee, thou hast the ex-
ample of those in the same case, '' I will
wait for the Lord that hideth his face from
the house of Jacob, and will look for him,"

100

Isa. viii. 17. Wait in faith, looking for
him, and thou shalt see the light of his coun-
tenance. Suppose all other comforts fail ;
thou hast one still, worth more than all —
" This God is my God for ever and ever.
He will never leave me nor forsake me.''
This is the happiness of the true believer ; he
is enabled to maintain his confidence, when
sensible feelings are no more. And thou
seest, reader, how this happiness is attained,
and how^ it is preserved. It is by trusting
to things which change not, the word of
God, the Son of God, and his promises ; all
which are in him, yea, raade in him, and in
him, Amen; fulfilled by him. May the
Lord help thee simply to trust his word, and
to live upon Christ for the fulfilling of it;
and theo thou wilt indeed get, what thou
art now seeking in vain, a comfortable
frame ; and wilt be enabled to maintain it
against all the discouragements of sense.
To that end search the scriptures, which
are able to make thee wise unto salvation ;
and let it be thy daily request to the Lord,
to make thee strong in faith, that thou may-

101
est not stagger at his promises through un-
belief, but mayest against hope believe in
hope. Beg of him, when sense goes con-
trary to the word, to enable thee still to be-
lieve it, and not to doubt of Christ's faith-
fuhiess to fulfil it — and ask for strength to
walk every moment by faith and not by
sight. Thus the Lord w^ill carry thee on
safely and sweetly from faith to faith, till
thou receive the end of thy faith, even the
salvation of thy soul. May it be so. Amen.
St. Paul has been my guide hitherto.
He says, Heb. v. 13. that a babe in Christ
is one w4io is unskilful in the word of ridit-
eousness. To this determination of his, I
have had an eye all along, and have ac-
cordingly endeavoured to remove those hin-
drances out of the way of young begin-
ners, which chiefly arise from their unskil-
fulness in the word of rig;hteousness.
Kighteousness signifies strict justice; with
respect to God it is paying him the full
demands of his holy law : in this sense
there is none of us righteous, no not

one. The God-man Christ Jesus, the sure-
I 2

102

ty of his people, came to work out sucli a
righteousness for them, and the word re-
veals it^ sets it before them in its infinite
freeness, and in its infinite sufficiency to
justify from all things. The word is also
the means in the hand of the Spirit, of
bringing them with the heart to believe unto
righteousness, and therefore the scripture is
called the word of righteousness ; and being
unskilful in it signifies want of experience
in the management of it, unskilful in the
knowledge of the person of the Lord our
righteousness, who is true and very God,
as well as true and very man ; unskilful in
the nature of his righteousness, that it is
absolutely perfect and everlastingly meri-
torious ; so that any sinner by receiving it
will be not only delivered from sin, and all
the miseries due to sin, but will also be
entitled to life and glory ; unskilful in the
gift of righteousness, how freely God be-
stows it, nothing being required to make
it the sinner's, but receiving it^ and there-
fore it is called the righteousness of faith :
l)ecause by faith he trusts in it for salva-

]03

tion, and for all its blessings in earth and
heaven, and expects them as the fruits of
righteousness — unskilful in experience, not
knowing how to plead this righteousness
against the charges of the law, of conscience,
and of the accuser of the brethren ; and
therefore apt to fall into a legal spirit, to
be distressed in their warfare between the
old man and the new^ ; and to covet and to
rely more upon sensible feelings, than upon
the sure testimony of God in his word.
These are some of the principal difficulties,
which young believers meet with, and they
all arise from their unskilfulness in the word
of righteousness ; and therefore I have par-
ticularly considered some scripture motives
for removing them out of the way. And
after thou hast perused these motives, have
they been the means of settling thy judgment,
comforting thy conscience, and strengthen-
ing thy faith ? Dost thou see more of Christ's
grace and power to save thee, a sinner, than
thou didst before, and therefore canst trust
him better, and in time of need make more
use of his promised grace ? If this be thy

104

case, give hiin the glory — and may he carry
thee on from strength to strength. But if
thou hast received no improvement from
reading thus far — what is the reason ? Per-
haps thou art under some of the temp-
tations here described. Search and see.
And whatever it be either in doctrine or
experience, w^hich hinders the increase of
thy faith, may the Lord discover it to thee,
and enable thee to overcome it, that thou
mayest be no longer a babe unskilful in the
word of righteousness, but mayest grow up
to be a young man strong in the Lord, and
in the power of his might.

The apostle Paul has directed me how to
speak to the babes in Christ : and another
apostle shows how they grow up to be young
men, and thereby he furnishes me with mat-
ter for the second part of this treatise on
the life of faith, " I have written unto you
young men," says he, '' because ye are
strong, and the word of God abideth in you,
and ye have overcome the wicked one," 1
John ii. 14. These young men knew the
principles of the doctrine of Christ; they

105

were established in the belief of his God-
head, of the infinite sufficiency of his salva-
tion, of the free mft of all its o;races and
blessings, promised to him that worketh not,
and received by faith only, and all treasur-
ed up for the believer's use in the fulness of
Christ Jesus, to whom he is to bring nothing
to recommend him, but the promise of the
grace which he then wants, and a depend-
ance upon Christ to supply that want.
These young men had attained to a good
degree of knowledge and experience in these
truths. They began to be able to keep the
evidence of their union with Christ clear
and distinct, and to improve it by their com-
munion with him in all his offices. But, not-
withstanding their establishment in these
points, they had many temptations and great
difficulties — still they knew but in part —
still they had a fleshly corrupt nature to
watch over and to fight against, always in-
clining them to trust to the law, to their
feeling, to any thing but Christ ; and always
disposing them to yield to the suggestions
of the devilj and to the allurements of th^

]()6

world. This warfare, instead of ceasing,
grows hotter and hotter, but they grow
stronger. It is the peculiar character of the
young men in Christ to he strong : they
have learnt where their strength lays, and
they put it forth. They go down to battle,
not trusting in any power or might of their
own, but strong in the Lord, and in the
power of his might. He is their strength.
When the enemy cometh in like a flood, then
to Jesus they look for safety and victory —
" O our God, we have no micjht against
this great company that cometh against us,
neither know we what to do, but our eyes
are upon thee. The abiding sense of their
own weakness keeps them dependent upon
him, so that the more they feel of their
helplessness, the stronger they grow: be-
cause they live more upon Christ for
strength, which illustrates that seeming para-
dox of the apostle, ^* When I am weak, then
am I strong" — when I am most sensible of
my own weakness, then am I strongest in
the Lord ; his strength is then perfected in
me. And his strength is put forth in the

107
effectual working of it by believing. It is
not, neither can it be, inherent in them, who
without Christ can do nothing; but it is
brought in by faith : nor does faith bring it in
to lodge it, or lay it up in store, till it shall
be wanted; but when it is wanted, faith then
regards the promise, looks up to Christ to
fulfil it, and receives strength out of his ful-
ness. And being his, freely promised, and
freely given, it is therefore called the strength
of grace. ^' Thou, therefore, my son," says
Paul to Timothy^ " be strong in the grace
that is in Christ Jesus." Strong faith gets
strong grace from Christ, according as it is
written — " All things are possible to him
that believeth :" for according to his faith it
shall be done unto him. If his faith reach
to the full extent of the promises, he shall
find all things possible, which God hath
promised ; yea, he shall be able to do all
things through Christ strengthening him.

This is the life of these young men in
Christ. They are strong in him, living up-
on his promised strength, and by faith re-
ceiving it. They live not upon any thing in

108

themselves, but whatever they stand in need
of, and whatever they have a promise for,
that they expect shall be given them by the
power of God their Saviour. They see
themselves, poor, helpless creatures ; full of
continual wants, and no means in their own
power to supply them. The sense of this
empties them of self-greatness and self-de-
pendence, and the abiding sense of this
keeps them humble and dependant upon
Christ. Thus the Lord teaches them how
to live out of themselves, and to be always
receiving out of the Saviour's fulness grace
for grace. They have his infinite storehouse
to repair to, in which there is treasured up
for them every thing that they can possibl}^
want. Happy for them, their God has pro-
mised to supply all their need out of the
riches of his grace in Christ Jesus ; and by
faith they have an abundant supply, to the
praise of that God, who keepeth his promise
for ever.

In him they live — he is the Lord and giv-
er of spiritual life, as Paul says — '*I live, yet
not I^ but Christ liveth in me." They are

]09

made strong in him, ^' The Lord is the
strength of my life/' says the Psalmist, Ps.
xxvii. 1. — that life which I live by the faith
of the Son of God has all its strength from
him —

And is continued by his power — ^^ For
none can keep alive his ow n soul," Ps. xxii.
29. '^ It is God who holdeth our soul in
life," Ps, Ixvi. 9.

And is kept by faith — " Ye are kept by
the power of God through faith," 1 Pet, i. 5.
Whatever strength the believer wants to en-
able him to bear hardship, endure the cross,
fight his spiritual enemies, daily gain victo-
ries over them; he expects it from God, and
through faith he receives it, and is kept —
yea, so kept,

As to be confirmed unto the end. He

that is able to keep believers from falling,

will keep them until they receive the end of

their faith, even the salvation of their souls.

Thus the life, which Christ begins by his

grace, he continues by his strength; and

every act of this spiritual life is from hiirl.

The will, the power is his ; for he doeth a\h

K

110

«nd in all. These young men were so well
assured of this, that they lived upon Christ
for strength, and they received it ; they were
strong in him. Their faith viewed him in
his exalted state with all power in heaven
and earth, and engaged as their covenant
head to use it for them, to make them, and to
keep them alive to God. On this power
they depended. And w hatever promise they
had of its being used in their behalf, and
pleaded it out at the throne of grace, and
trusted Christ with the fulfilling of it ; he
never disappointed them. They were made
strong, and stood fast in the Lord ; who
never withdrew his supporting arm : there-
fore they never ceased to put their whole
trust and confidence in him.

When the enemy sees them thus strong in
the Lord through faith, it stirs up his devilish
malice, and makes him burn with envious
rage. He leaves no temptation untried to
draw them from Christ. He is well skilled
in cunning wiles and sly devices for this
purpose. He does not begin with tempting
them to open sin ; that w ould at once dis-

Ill

cover his wicked design : hut he artfully tries
to sap the foundation, and to weaken their
faith. If he can get them from their depen-
dence upon Christ, he carries his point ; and
too, too often he succeeds. Oh ! beware,
reader, of every thing; suspect it, let its
appearance be ever so fair and good, which in
the least tends to weaken thy fast hold of
Christ. Cleave to him with full purpose of
heart, as long as ever thou livest : ior the
enemy's whole plan is to separate thee from
him. Formerly he tried to do this by dis-
tressing thee about thy sins — how they could
be pardoned — whether, being so great, so
many, the blood of Christ could cleanse
from all: now thou hast through believing
received forgiveness of sins, he will try to
do the same by distressing thee about thy
duties. Sometimes he will try to bring guilt
into thy conscience by suggesting to thee thy
many failings and short comings in them — •
the disorder of thine imagination — thy wan-
derings in thy prayers — thy dulness in hear-
ing and reading the word — the little life and
power thou findest in thine attendance upon

112

the ordinances — and the coldness of thy
love to God and man. If he can get thee
to dwell upon these things so as to forget
Christ, then he has made M'ay for this in-
sinuation.^— How could it be thus with thee,
and thou a strong believer? And if he can
get thee to reason upon it, then he has thee
fast, thou art catched in his snare.

But if the Lord has taught thee not to be
ignorant of satan's devices, as soon as the
thought arises, whether thou art in Christ,
because of such failings, thou wilt know
from what quarter it comes, and wilt imme-
diately resist it. So that the temptation will
make thee stand faster; it will drive thee
closer to Christ; make thy dependence
stronger on his blood and righteousness; put
thee upon making more use of him as thy in-
tercessor and advocate with the Father, and
help thee to live more out of thyself, by
faith upon him. Thus Christ becomes pre-
cious ; thou art more humble. The snare i^
broken, and thou art delivered.

When the enemy sees this, his implacable
malice will soon tempt thee again. He has

113

another deep-laid stratagem relating to thy
duties^ and that is from their being unsuc-
cessful. Thou hast had something laid much
upon thy heart; and thou hast carried it to
God in prayer, and thou hast waited long^
but no answer comes. Upon this satan takes
occasion to suggest — Now you see God
does not give you what you ask^ although he
has promised, Ask and ye shall have ; the
fault cannot be in him; therefore it is plain
you are not in his favour ; his promises do
not belong to you. And if he can thus work
a little upon thy impatience, he will soon get
thee into doubting and unbelief Here thou
mayest see how all the wiles of satan tend to
one point; namely, to separate thee from
Christ ; and how necessary then is it, that
thou shouldest have this settled beyond all
question, that Christ and thou art one. If
this be maintained in thy conscience, then
Satan's stratagem is defeated : for Christ be-
ing thine, he will give thee every thing that
he has promised ; and although thou hast it
not just at the time thou hast fixed thyself,

yet he knows best. Thou shalt certainly
K 2

114

have it, if his infinite wisdom sees it good
for thee ; and if he does not see it good, his
love will give thee something better. Thy
faith must wait God's time. Strong faith can
wait long. Having such a promise as this to
depend upon — " They shall not be asham-
ed, who wait for me;" Isa. xlix. 23. — thou
mayest with confidence wait, and be a fol-
lower of them who, through faith and pa-
tience, inherit the promises ; who by faith re-
garded the promises, by patience waited for
the fulfilling of them ; and although they
waited long, yet they succeeded at last, and
did inherit every grace and blessing, for
which, with faith and patience, they had been
waiting. Go, and do thou likewise.

Upon the failing of these temptations, the
enemy has another ready. Since he cannot
get thee off thy guard by bringing thee into
doubting and unbelief, he will attack thy
faith in another way. He will come like an
angel of light, and seem to be Christ's friend
and thine. He will allow thee to be a child
of God, and to be strong in faith. The
more clearly thou art satisfied of thy union

115

with Christ, the more will he improve, it
thou art not aware, this thy certainty to his
own wicked purposes. He will try to keep
thine eye upon thy great graces and high
gifts ; he will flatter thee exceedingly upon
them, and will tempt thee to view them with
a secret delight, every now and then insinu-
ating, what a great Christian thou art — how
few there are like thee — to what an exalted
state thou hast attained — what temptations
thou hast overcome — what victories thou hast
gained over sat an — and how safe thou art
now, fast upon the rock ! And if he finds
this pleasing bait is not instantly rejected
with a Get thee behind me, satan ; then he
will begin to work upon thy self-love, and to
give thee many plausible reasons for self-ad-
miration; so that thou shalt lirst look plea^
singly at, then fondly love, and at last sacri
legiously dote upon thy wondrous attain-
ments! Thus he will lift thee up with pride,
and will try to draw thee into his own crime,
and into his own condemnation. What a
dangerous temptation is this ! How many
have I know n who fell into it ! If thou say-

116

est, by vvhat means shall I escape it? Mind
tlie first approach : for it is coming upon
thee, as soon as thou beginnest to think of
thyself more highly than thou oughtest to
think. Thou art in thyself a poor, miserable,
helpless sinner; and, to this very moment,
without Christ, thou canst do nothing. Thou
canst not do one good thing, nor overcome
the weakest enemy, nor take one step in the
way to heaven, without Christ : nay, thou
canst not think one good thought without
him. What hast thou then to be proud of,
and to stir up thy self-admiration? Nothing
but sin. The humble abiding sense of this
tends to thy safety: for while this is ever
present with thee — " In me, that is, in my
flesh, dwelleth no good thing ;" it will lead
thee to live by faith upon Christ, for all good
things. And being all his, and received
every moment from him as his free gift, thou
wilt be glorifying and exalting him in all and
for all, knowing that he resisteth the proud;,
but he giveth grace unto the humble. The
Lord keep thee humble, and then thou wilt

117

have grace to escape this cunning wile of the
devil.

If thou shalt say, alas! lam fallen into
it; how shall I recover myself? Remem-
ber his case who, in his prosperity, said he
never should be moved, the favour of the
Lord had made his mountain to stand so
strong, Ps. XXX. 6, 7. He was too confi-
dent in himself, and was moved. How did
he recover his standing ? '^ I cried unto the
Lord, and unto the Lord I made my sup-
plication. Hear, O Lord, and have mercy
upon me; Lord, be thou my helper." His
prayer was heard, he found mercy to par-
don his offence, and help to raise him up,
and his mourning, he says, was turned into
joy and gladness. Look up as he did to
the Lord Christ. Plead thy pardon through
his promised mercy, and beg of him to
enable thee to walk more humbly with thy
God. Then shall the Psalmist's experience
be thine, and thou shalt escape the snare,
which was laid for thy precious life.

These young men having thus overcome
the devices, which, satan had contrived to

118

weaken their faith, must expect a fresh
attack from him. He will tempt them con-
cerning the ground of faith. He sees they !
are strong, because the word of God abi-
deth in them ; therefore he will use all his
cunning and power to weaken their trust
in the word and promises of God. By
the incorruptible seed of the word, faith is
begotten ; and by the same word it is nour-
ished up, and strengthened ; growing ex-
ceedingly from faith to faith. The word,
which is the sole ground of faith, reveals
the covenant made by the eternal Trinity
for the salvation of sinners, and makes
many free promises of every covenant bles-
sing to him that believeth. These pro-
mises may most steadfastly be relied upon :
because of the unchangeable nature of God,
who makes them. All his perfections are
engaged for the fulfilling of his word ; so
that what he has spoken has an actual being
and existence. He says, and it is done —
saying and doing are the same with him.
Let there be ever so great a distance of
time between the w^ord spoken and the

119
thing done, yet this is as real as any thing
now in beina : because it exists in the mind
und will of God, is revealed in his word,
and by his faithfulness and almighty power
is to be established at the time appoint-
ed. How is it possible, then, that this
word should be broken ? There is no mat-
ter of fact of more undoubted evidence,
nothing in futurity, not even the rising
of the sun to morrow, so fixed and cer-
tain, as the accomplishment of God's pro-
mises to him that believeth. These young
men in Christ were most assuredly per-
suaded of this truth. They knew that
heaven and earth should pass away before
one tittle of God's promises should fail.
They looked upon them all as made in
Christ, in him Yea, and in him Amen, made
in him, and fulfilled to him, as the head of
the body the Church, and in him fulfilled
to all his members. As certainly as every
one of them has been made good to him
the head, so will they be made good to his
* members. He has all power in heaven and
« arth committed to him, for that very pur-

1^20

pose. Whoever by believing is joined to
him, he has thereby a right and a title to
every promise, and may boldly sue it out
in time of need : and then it is Christ's
office and glory to fulfil the promise.

If mountains of difficulties stand in the
way, the believer need not fear or doubt.
Christ is upon the throne. What are difficul-
ties against his almighty power? besides,
Christ has already given him good security.
He has put into his hands the pledges and
earnests of the promised inheritance, and
how is it possible he should fail in fulfilling
his engagements, and putting him in due
time into actual possession ? Head what the
apostle says of this subject. Turn to the
passage : for it is too long to quote, Heh. vi.
from verse 1 1 to the end of the chapter ; in
which you may observe these particulars:

1. The heirs of promise are apt to be
full of doubt, and to have strife in their con-
sciences about their right and title to all the
graces and blessings of salvation :

2. God was willing out of his infinite
mercy to establish their right and title to

them beyond dispute^ and to put an efTd to
all strife :

3. Therefore he engaged by promise to
give them all those graces and blessings :
and,

4. To show the unchangeableness of his
will herein, he confirmed the promise by an

oath.

5. It is impossible that God should lie

in his promise, or that he should be perjur-
ed in his oath.

6. Therefore, here are two immutable
things to strengthen the faith and hopes of
the heirs of promise.

7. While their faith rests upon those im-
mutable things, it will always bring them
strong consolation.

8. When enemies, dangers, and tempta*
tions attack them, they are safe by fleeing for
refuge, to lay hold of the hope set before
them in God's immutable promises.

^. This hope will be as useful to them at

such times, as an anchor to a ship. By it

'•they will ride out all the storms of lite, until

Jesus, their forerunner, bring them within.

L

122

the veil, where their anchor is now ca^t; and
put them into eternal possession of all the
promises.

With what rich and copious matter does
this scripture abound, tending to show the
absolute safety of resting upon God's pro-
mises ! How strong are the arguments to
persuade the heirs of promise, to put their
whole trust and confidence in the faithfulness
of their God ! who, having provided an infi-
nitely glorious and everlasting inheritance for
them, was w illing to make it over to them in
the strongest manner of conveyance ; and,
therefore, he has given them the promise and
the oath of God, which cannot possibly
change or alter, that their faith might never
doubt or waver, and their hope might at all
times be sure and steadfast. And until he
bring them to the inheritance itself, he has
given them many sweet and blessed promises
of all things needful for their temporal and
spiritual estate, upon which he would have
them not only to live comfortably at present,
but also to receive them as part of the inhe-
ritance allo\^ed them for their maintenance,

1^25
till they come to age, and enter upon the
possession of the whole. And what God in-
tended in his promise and oath, has its ef-
fects in a good degree among those who have
the word of God abiding in them. They
cast their anchor where he commands them,
and they are not only safe, but also in time
of the greatest troubles and temptations, have
strong consolation. When enemies come,
corruptions arise, and difficulties are in the
way ; they have a promise, and a promise-
keeping God to depend upon. Whatever
straights they are in, the word abiding in
them brings some promise of support and
deliverance : the promise shows what God
has engaged to do, and faith receives the ful-
filling of his engagements. When they draw
nigh to God in duties in ordinances, they
knovy what he has promised to them that
wait upon him, and they judge him faithful
who hath promised ; and lo, he is present
w ith them. In short, w^hile they live like
themselves, as the heirs of promise, they are
preserved from all evil, and want no manner
of thing that is good. Ihis is their happy

124

case, thrice happy, because the means used
to deprive them of their happiness, are over-
ruled of God for the establishing it. The
enemy rages against them, but in vain. He
was a liar from the beginning. The word is
truth, and he abode not in it ; tlierefore, he
hates it, and with a greater hatred, because
the Lord has made it the means of strength-
ening those believers. He knows that all
his temptations will be fruitless, while the
word abideth in them. He fears no wea^
pon formed against him, like the sword of
the Spirit : he has felt its sharpness and
its power ; with it the captain of our salva-
tion cut Rahab, and wounded the dragon ;
and with it all his good soldiers resist the de-
vil, mid make him flee from them. For these
reasons he has great variety of temptations
to weaken the believer's trust in the word,
and his reliance upon the promises of God.
Sometimes he attacks them in a matter
where his hopes are founded in their igno-
rance : he is cunning to spy out the particu-
lar way in which they have been led, and
their readiness to maintain their ground, by

125

making use of the promises suited to that
way. lie resolves, therefore, upon some new
temptation, with which they have never been
exercised ; and he \^ atches the favourable
opportunity to inject it with ail his strength.
Upon his doing it, the soul is put into a great
hurry, because it has no promise ready to
appl}^ to the present case : for want of which,
the understanding is confused — faitii wavers
— doubt enters — and satan carries his point.
This demonstrates the necessity of searching
the scriptures, and meditating upon them
night and day. In them God has graciously
treasured up all sorts of promises. There
is not a possible case tor a believer to be in,
of spiritual or temporal concern ; but there
is a promise suitable to it, which he ought to
:ave ready against the hour of temptation.
If he has not, he neglects tlie Lord's kind
provision, and lays himself open to the ene-
my's attack. Reader, if thou wouldest not
be ignorant of satan's devices, follow Christ s
counsel — Search the Scriptures. Kemember,
they are able to make thee wise unto salva-
tion, throueh faith in Christ Jesus : there-
L 2

126

fore, store up his promises — ^pray him to
sanctify thy memory to retain tliem — and to
enable thee to make use of them.-4n every time
of need.

If this temptation fail, the enemy will soon
have another ready. 1 have known him
often try, and often succeed in endeavouring
to take off the attention from the most easy
parts of scripture, and to fix it upon those
parts which are hard to be understood. Up-
on those the believer dwelk too much, and
puzzles himself. His head grows confused.
He consults commentators, and they confuse
him more. And if he does not fall from
hence into questioning the truth of scripture,
yet he certainly neglects the right use of it,
forgetting it is the means of building him-
self up in his most holy faith. Reader,
whenever thou art tempted about difficult
texts, look up to the incarnate Word, and
pray him by his Spirit to open thine under-
standing, that thou mayest know what thou
readest ; and if thou still dost not find the
meaning of them made plain to thee, pass
them by for that time. Don'c puzzle and
distress thyself about them. Perhaps when

1^27
thou meetest with them again, they will ap-
pear easy, and Christ will give thee light to
see and to comprehend them.

If thou sayest, I do look up to him to
teach me, but nevertheless, I find many hard
and difficult texts : remember thou knovv-
est but in part, and therefore thou standest
in need of daily teaching;. These texts are
profitable, if they huml)le thee, and make
thee live more upon the teaching of the di-
vine Prophet. The humbler thou art, thou
wilt be the more teachable. The lower thou
sittest at his feet to hear his words, thou
wilt learn the most. The Master himself
has declared, " Whosoever shall humble
himself as a little child, the same is the
greatest in the kingdom of heaven." If these
difficult texts thus humble thee, and make
thee live mpre upon Christ's inward teach-
ing, they w in be the means of thy grow th in
saving knowledge. Thy hearing and read-
ing the word in a constant dependence upon
him, will keep thee from the dangerous er-
rors and heresies of the times. Most of
those arise from unlearned and unstable

128

men, full of pride and self-conceit, whom
God resisteth ; but he giveth grace to the
humble.

If he has given thee grace to hold fast
the form of sound words, which thou ha^t
learned and been assured of, the enemy will
change his attack, and pursue thee with new
temptations. Envious of thy happiness, he
will be often assaultino; thee, and trying to "
move thee from thy steadfastness. He will
at times insinuate every lie that he can
raise against the word of God ; and he will
not begin with reason or argument, but by
way of surprise, with sudden injections,
darting into the mind doubts, like these —
How do I know the scripture is inspired ?
What proof have I ? And if these be riot
immediately rejected, he will follow^ them
like lightning with others : How can that be
inspired which is full of contradictions, and
full of doctrines above reason ? Who can
detend the matters of fact related in it ?
The language is low and mean, unworthy of
God — the scripture is false— perhaps there
is neither God nor devil.

129
These blasphemous thoughts sometimes
put the believer into a hurry and confusion,
and through the suddenness and violence of
them, greatly distress him. The apostle
calls these assaults " the fiery darts of the
wicked one," — darts, because he throws
them V ith all his might against the soul, — -
and fiery, because he would have them to
catch hold of, and to inflame its corruptions
and lusts. And they do, if the shield of
faith be not ready to stop their force, and
to quench their fire. This is a piece of the
armour of God prepared for the believer's
safety at such times, and the right use of it
is this : The Lord having promised to be a
shield to them that put their trust in him,
and to compass them about with his favour
as with a shield, the believer looks up when
these fiery darts are flying thick about him,
and says — '' O Lord God of Hosts, who
hast promised that thy faithfulness and truth
should be my shield and buckler, now esta-
blish thy word unto thy servant. In thee,
O my God, do I put my trust ; save me in
this hour of temptation." Then the battle

130

becomes ttie Lord's. He is engaged to put
forth his strength to shield thee from the
enemy. Thus thou shalt conquer, and
shalt happily experience what is written—^
^' Resist the devil, and he will flee from
you."

, He will flee for a season, but will return
again. He has other temptations, and he
will try them all to disparage the word of
God, and to lessen the believer's confidence
in it. Sometimes he will insinuate — how
can these things be — in what way or by
what means can such a promise be fulfilled?
If you begin to reason upon the point, he
will get you from your strong- hold and con-
quer you. Beware of his lies, and have
always your answer ready — ^' It is written."
What God hath said put your trust in, if all
the world gainsay it ; for he is faithful who
hath promised, and all things are possible
with him.

If this temptation does not succeed, and
he cannot bring you to doubt of the truth of
the promises, then he will try you about
your right to them. When vou are in dark-

131

iies3 or walking heavily, in sickness or any
trouble, and you have been praying for
deliverance, but Christ does not presently
answer you; then he has a favourable
opportunity to suggest — Now you see the
promises do^nof belong to you; Christ will
not hear you, and th€refore you have been
deceiving yourself with a vain notion of faith.
This is a common temptation, against which
still oppose — '' Ins writtiin.'' Thy case, be it
what it will, has a promise, either of support
or deliverance. If thou art not delivered,
yet if Christ support thee, so that thy faith
and patience fail not, does not this show his
infinite goodness to thee? He will have thy
faith tried, and he will put it into the fire,
not to consume it, but that it may come like
gold out of the furnace, purer and brighter.
And what if thou art in the fire a OTeat
while, thou wilt see more of his tender mer-
cies in keeping thee there, and wilt thereby
learn to live in a more simple dependence
upon him. Cast not away therefore thy
confidence in the written word. The pro-
mises in it stand faster than the strong

15^

mountains. If all the powers in earth and
hell should join, they cannot defeat one
single tittle of them. When the world and
all the works therein shall be bm^nt up, and
the place of them shall be no more found,
then the promises shall stand fast as the
throne of Ciod, and shall receive their full
and perfect accomplishment through the
ages of eternity.

These are some of satan's temptations
against the young men in Christ, who are
strong, because the word of God abideth in
them. His design is to weaken their reliance
upon its promises. Till he can do this, he
despairs of success ; and therefore he tries
every method, which his wicked cunning and
rage can invent. His busy active spirit is
night and day plotting against the word of
God. See a lively picture of his utter hatred
to it in the parable of the sower. While the
good seed is sowing, the devil is indefatiga-
ble in picking it up. He exercises all his
wiles to keep it out of the hearer's hearts,
and he prevails with the greater part to re-
ject it. Among those who seemingly re-

133

ceive it, he cheats three out of four, so that
the word does not take root, nor bear fruit
to perfection. Since satan is thus success-
ful, is it not absolutely necessary, reader,
that thou shouldest be well acquainted with
his devices ? And the word abiding in thee,
the ingrafted word, will both make thee
acquainted with them, and also strong to
resist them : because then thou wilt be
taught by Christ's wisdom and strengthened
by his almighty power. As thou growest
in the sense of thy want of him, and livest
in a closer dependence upon him, thou wilt
understand more of his word, and experi-
ence more of his power. By which means
the enemy's continual attacks, driving thee
to Christ for the fulfilling of his promises,
will make thee continually safe. Let the
roaring lion rage, what hast thou to fear ?
Let him go about seeking whom he may
devour, the Lord is thy shield and thy de-
fence : in him is thy trust. Thou hast his
promise, that he will preserve thee from all
evil, and will make all things, even satan's

spite and rage against thee, work together

M

1 34

for thy good. How .tear and precious Iheii
should the word of God be to thee, if
thou art weak ! because it is the means of
thy growing, and being nourished up : and
if thou art strong, because by its abiding
in ihee, thou wilt be established. May it
be thy study and thy delight, and may
every reading of it bring thee to a better
acquaintance with, and a greater depen-
dence upon, the adorable Jesus. And if
thou desirest thus to profit from the scrip-
tures, 1 would advise thee, reader, to ob-
serve two things, w hich w ill be much for
Christ's glory, and for thy edification.

First, in thy frequent and careful perusal
of the bible, (and mind, thou canst not read
it too much,) take particular notice of the
promises, which are most suited to thy age,
state, and condition in life: because these
God has graciously made for thy use, and
about these the enemy will be most busy
with thee. Treasure them up then in thy j
memory, and have them ready against the
time of need ; looking up,

Secondly, to Christ for the fulfilling of

135

them. All the promises are made in liiaij
and made good by him : thou art therefore
in an humble dependance upon his faithful-
ness and power, to expect whatever thou
wantest^ and he has promised. Trust him,
and he will not fail thee. Stagger not at
any of his promises, through the seeming
impossibility of their being made good; but
depend upon his almighty power, and thou
wilt find him a faithful promise-keeping
God, whose word standeth fast for ever and
ever.

Thus thou shalt not only be safe, but
shalt also overcome the wicked one, which
the apostle John makes the last part of
their character who are strong in the Lord.
They overcome him by the strength of their
faith. They hold fast their confidence in
the Lord's promised strength, and he fights
for them. That mighty arm which bruised
the serpent's head, brings them victory, as it
is written of that noble army mentioned,
Rev, xii. 11. '' They overcame the accuser
of the brethren by the blood of the Lamb,
and by the word of their testimony." —

136
Through faith in his blood, they were par-
doned and justified freely, and they knew
that in him they had righteousness and
strength ; therefore they were at peace with
God, and the accuser of the brethren could
not lay any thing to their charge. Thus
they were delivered from his power, and
translated into the kingdom of God's dear
Son ; and they testified this by adhering to
the word of truth. They believed that
whatever Christ had therein promised, he
would fulfil to them ; and they bore their
testimony to their being safe in depending
upon his word, in the most trying circum-
Jitances, They would not give it up, what-
ever they lost for trusting to it : nay, they
stuck steadfastly to its truth, although it
cost them their lives for maintaining their
testimony : for it is said of them, ^^ they
loved not their lives unto the death ;" that
is, they loved the truth more than life; they
were not afraid publicly to own, that their
trust and confidence was in the blood of the
Lamb ; and they believed they should be
infiaite and everlasting gainers by holding

137

fast the word of their testimony unto death.
And the Lord was with them, and mightily
strengthened them, so that they joyfully
sealed their testimony with their blood ; al-
though they died in flames, and in the most
exquisite torments. Thus they overcame
satan. A most noble company of those
conquerors are now standing round the
throne of the Lamb^ enjoying his exceeding
great and precious promises : he has crowned
them with glory — he has clothed them w ith
robes, w^ashed and made white ia his own
blood — he has wiped away all tears from
their eyes, and taken all cause of sorrow
from their hearts — he has put palms into
their hands, to show that they are eternal
conquerors, and that they shall stand con-
firmed in bliss for ever and ever. May
thou and I, reader, e'er long, join them;
and until that happy time come, may our
faith be daily more established in the blood
and righteousness of the Lamb of God, that
we may be growing in our love to him, and
in our dependence upon him, until he admit
us to see him as he is.
M 2

138

Through much exercise and fighting, these
young nien, strong and mighty in the Scrip-
tures, grow up to be fathers in Christ ; whose
character is thus drawn by the apostle Johrij
1 Epis,\\. 14. " I have written unto you,
fathers, because ye have known him that is
from the beginning ;" namely, Jesus Christ,
whose style and title it is to be from the be-
ginning, as he himself speaks in Prov. viii.
22, 23. — '^ The Lord possessed me in the
beginning of his way, before his works of
old. I was set up from everlasting, from
the beginning, or ever the earth was." He
was a person in the Godhead, co-equal and
CO- eternal with the Father; but was set up
in his office-character from everlasting, to be
the beginning of the ways and works of God.
Upon account of what he was to do and suf-
fer in man's nature according to the grace of
the covenant of the ever-blessed Trinity, he
was the Creator, and is the Preserver of the
universe : for by him were all things creat-
ed, that are in heaven, and that are in earth,
visible and invisible ; and by him all things
subsist; and be is the beginning, the first

139
cause of all things in nature, and also in grace
— the head of the body the church. In the
same manner our Lord speaks af himself,
Rev i. 1. '^ I am Alpha and Omega, the
beginning and tlie ending, saith the Lord,
v'hich is, and which was, and which is to
come, the Almighty." He is in and from the
beginning, being the first cause of all the di-
vine works in creation, in providence, and in
redemption ; the Author and the Finisher^
the first and the last in all ; w hich shows the
great propriety of describing him here by
this name. The apostle is treating of the
highest state of a believer, and he says it
consists in knowing that Jesus Christ is all
and in all. Whatever good there is in his
kingdom of nature, from him it had its be-
ginning, and by him it is preserved : what-
ever good there is in his kingdom of grace^
he is the author of it ; by his power it is
continued ; and when brought to perfection,
he is the finisher. He is the beginning, he is
the ending of all the counsels, and of all the
works of God. In this light these Fathers
had learned to consider the Lord Jesus : thev

140

knew that he was to do all for them, and in
them, and by them ; they not only knew it
speculatively, but had also experimental
knowledge of it. " Ye have known him
that is from the beginning ;" have known
him, and tried him, and found him to be
what his name signifies. And this is the
right knowledge of Christ — not such as the
devil has ; he could say, I know thee who thou
art, the Holy one of God — not such as too
many nominal Christians have, who profess
that they know God, but in works they deny
him — not such as many professors attain, for
whom it had been better not to have known
the way of righteousness, than after they had
known it, to turn from it. These fathers knew
Christ by the inward teaching of his word and
spirit, whereby he made himself known to
them, as he does not to others. For he fulfilled
to them the great promise of the new covenant
— '^ I will give them a heart to know me,
that I am the Lord, and they shall be my
people, and I will be their God," Jcr. xxiv.
7. The covenant is well ordered in all things
and sure ; particularly with respect t6 the

141

i|uickening of the soul from a death in tres-
passes and sins, and to the renewing of its
faculties, that they may be capable of know-
ing God ; and to the enlightening them, that
the lij^ht of the glorious gospel of Christ
may shine unto them, even unto the heart,
enlivening it with holy and heavenly affec-
tion to the person, to the offices, and to the
glories of the blessed Immanuel. Whereby
the believer, thus taught of God to know
him aright, can now trust him, hope in him,
and love him ; which graces are strengthen-
ed from the consideration of God's standing
related to him as his covenant God, and of
his being one of God's redeemed people : from
which relations he has a right to, and by faith
may enjoy every covenant mercy in time, and
shall be a partaker of them all in eternity,
• — This is the knowledge, concerning which
so many and such great things are spoken
in scripture, and which St. John says these
fathers had received : they had attained by
the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation to that
knowledge of Christ, which is life eternal j
and- the same Spirit enabled them to be

142

continually growing and increasing in the
knowledge of Christ. As he shines more
clearly into their hearts, he discovers to
them more of their w ants. He makes them
better acquainted with themselves, and lets
them feel more of the workings of their
corrupt nature, and of their own entire help-
lessness. Thus by his light they see deeper
into that mystery of iniquity, which is in
them, and they grow^ in the sense and ex-
perience of it all their lives. Day by day
some failing, short coming, infirmity or
temptation, leads them to more lowly and
humbling view^s of themselves, and brings
them fresh discoveries of their fallen and
helpless state. While they attend to what
is passing in their own breasts, every mo-
ment something will be speaking for Christ
— '' Without me ye can, do nothing." It
is this abiding sense of their wants, and
faith in his promises to supply them, which
lead them to be constantly looking unto
Jesus. Many wants do not discourage
them ; for his promises are as many as
their wants can be — nor great wants, for

143

he has given them exceeding great pro-
mises— nor continual wants, for he has pro-
mised them grace every moment. As they
grow in the knowledge of themselves, they
see more need of living upon Christ in the
several offices which he sustains. The daily
experience which they have of their own
ignorance, and sinfulness, and helplessness,
endear to them their divine Prophet, Priest,
and King. The continual sense of their
want of him makes them glad to live in a
settled fixed dependence upon his fulness,
and to be alw ays receiving out of it. They
would not live otherwise if they could.
They know that their dear Saviour will
manage better for them than thev could for
themselves. He has taken their affairs, spi-
ritual and temporal, into his hands, and he
can make no mistakes. His infinite love is
guided by unerring wisdom, and its bles-
sings are bestowed by almighty power. —
Happy for them, they and theirs are under
the care of this best of friends. They know
it, and are sensible of their happiness.
Daily experience, brings them fresh proofs

144

of the love and power of Jesus; which
makes them wish for more, still more faith,
that they may glorify their blessed Saviour
by trusting him more. How^ever, in this
they are growing, increasing day by day in
their knowledge of the salvation, and gain-
ing a closer acquaintance and fellowship
with the person of God their Saviour, until
they come to see him as he is.

This is the character of those believers who
are steadfast in the faith, and are become
fathers, able now^ to teach others also. They
have attained to that knowledge of Christ,
which is life eternal, and they are daily pres-
sing forward. What they already know of
him, increases their desire to know more.
And by being always conversant with him,
(for without him they can do nothing,) they
have continual opportunities of making new
discoveries. In him are laid up treasures of
every thing that is great and good. His
riches are unsearchable, infinite, and eternal.
There is no coming to the end of them.
Believers are persuaded of it, and therefore
they try to dig deep into this golden mine.

145

It is all theirs. The further they go, the
more is their faith strengthened, and the
more precious Christ becomes ; for they find
such an excellency in the knowledge of
Christ Jesus their Lord, that their souls
hunger and thrist to know more of him.
The more they attain, the more the appetite
increases, and nothing can perfectly satisfy
it, but the full enjoyment of Christ in glory,
when they shall know, even as also they are
known. Till that blessed time come, they
will be growing in grace, and in the know-
ledge of God their Saviour.

This is the distinguishing mark of these
fathers — they are pressing forward. The}/
have not yet attained to the perfect know-
ledge of Christ, but they are going on to
perfection: and they make an happy pro-
gress. God meets them in and blesses the
means, which he has appointed for their daily
growth. In those he requires them to depend
and to wait upon him; and he gives them
clearer discoveries of the adorable person,
and of the gracious offices of the Lord Christ,

and thereby enables them to live more bv

N

146
faith upon him, for all things belonging to
their temporal, their spiritual, and their eter-
nal concerns. These particulars will include
the principal acts of the life of faith; and
while we take a short view of them, may
every page, reader, be made the means of
increasing and strengthening thy faith in the
Lord Jesus.

First, they grow in the knowledge of his
person, v/hich is altogether m onderful ; so
that thev can never come to the end of his
perfections, nor to eternity can they show^
forth all his praise ; for he is God and man
in one Christ — Jehovah, incarnate — Imma-
nuel, God with us. This is the great mys-
tery of Godliness, God manifest in the
flesh ; in which he came amongst us, that
he might be the second Adam, who is the
Lord from heaven ; thai as the first Adam
by sin had ruined all those who are born of
him after the flesh, so the second Adam
midit save all those who are born of him
after the Spirit. And for this end he has
all power in heaven and earth committed
to him : he has all fulness, yea, the fulness
of the Godhead, dwelling in him ; that he

147
might be the head of tlie bod}^ the church;
and that out of his fuhiess his members
might be receiving grace in time, and glory
in eternity. Of this divine Person all the
prophets have spoken since the world be-
gan ; and what they have spoken in many
words, the apostle sums up in a short de-
scription, Col. i. 15, &;c, where he is treat-
ing of that Person in the Godhead, who co-
venanted to come into the world to save
sinners; '' who is the image of the invisible
God, the first-born of every creature: for, by
him were all things created that are in heaven
and that are in earth, visible and invisible,
whether they be thrones or dominions, or
principalities, or powers ; all things were
created by him and for him ; and he is before
all things, and by him all things consist.
And he is the Head of the body, the
church, who is the beginning, the first-born
from the dead, that in all things he might
have the pre-eminence ; for it pleased the
Father that in him should all fulness dwell."
In which words these three glorious truths
are declared of Christ Jesus ; first, that he

148

created all things visible and invisible ; se-
condly, that he upholds them all by the
word of his power; thirdly, that he has re-
deemed unto himself a peculiar people
through his own blood, who are his church ;
and he is to them what the head is to the
body, the head of authority, the^rst in rank
and dignity, and the head of influence; from
whom life, and motion, and sense, are com-
municated to all his members : for in him
they live, and move, and have their being.
In all things he is first, or has the pre-emi«
nence ; he is Jehovah, the Creator and the
Preserver of all things — Jehovah incarnate,
the Head of his church, and the Saviour of
the body. This is the blessed Object of
faith : and what can there be conceived
beautiful, useful, or happy; what excellency
is there, or perfection, which is not in its
highest degree in this most adorable God-
man? What can a believer want, what can
his heart desire, w hich is not here treasured
up for his use? Here is a Surety perfectly
qualified, as man to act and suffer for man,
as God to merit infinitely and eternally by

149

what he did and suffered ; and, as God-
man, he has now all fulness of wisdom, and
righteousness, and holiness, and strength,
and every thing needful for his people's
happiness. Whither then should they go,
but to him, for every grace and blessing ?
And to him they do repair, according to the
command — '^ Look unto me and be ye sav-
ed, all the ends of the earth," Iscl xlv. 22.
The promise to them^ who are looking unto
him, is very extensive — '' ]My God shall
supply all your need according to his riches
in glory by Christ Jesus," FhiL iv. l^. By
him they expect a continual supply of all
their temporal and spiritual needs; and there-
fore on him they would have their eyes ever
fixed, looking unto Jesus. While by faith
their eyes are kept steady upon him, they
will be discovering something new in this
wonderful God-man, and receiving some-
thing; out of his fulness, to streno;then their
hopes, and to inflame their affections. He
will grow more lovely in their sight; fresh
beauties will discover themselves ; new

worlds of delight will appear: for all the

N 3

150

glories of heaven and earth shine in their
fullest lustre in his person. The believer
sees them at present : for by faith he can
see him that is invisible ; and although he has
not such a perfect vision, as they have who,
standing round his throne, see him face to
face ; yet he hopes to enjoy it soon : and he
has even now this peculiar pleasure in view-
ing the glories of his God and Saviour, that
he can truly say of him — '^ This is my Be-
loved, and my Friend ;" here I fix, and on
him I rest ; I want to look no where else
for any good, since it all meets and centers
in one object : for it hath pleased the Fa-
ther and the eternal Spirit, that all fulness
should dwell in the Son of God, and he is
my beloved Saviour, and my dearest Friend ;
he is the Chief among ten thousand in my
affection, yea, he is altogether lovely. The
more I live by faith upon him, the more I
love him : for I experience such tender com-
passion in his heart, and such a kind con-
cern for me and my interest, that the love
of Christ constrains me to love him again.
He endears his person to me by continual

151

favours. 1 do love him, but not so inucli
as he deserves. I would increase, and
abound more and more in love to him, as
his mercies increase and abound to me; but
a grateful sense of them, and love to him for
them, are his own gifts, for which, as well as
for his mercies, I must be content to be in-
debted to hhn for ever and ever. Lord,
shed more of thy precious love abroad in
my heart ; enlarge it in true affection to
thee, and make all that is within me bless
thy holy name.

Reader, stop a little here, and consider :
Art thou one of these believers ? Hast thou
a warm heart for the person of Christ ? Dost
thou see in him, and in its highest degree,
every thing that is lovely; and art thou
growing and abounding in love to him ? If
this be thy present happiness, thou wilt find
many powerful motives to increase it in the
45th and 72d Psalms. Read them, and see
w^hether thou canst so mix faith, \^ ith what
is said in them of the incarnate God, as to
conclude with David — '' Whom have I in
heaven, but thee ; and there is none upon

152

earth, that I desire besides thee." If thy
heart be thus enamoured with his love, then
thou hast got a key to the book of Canti-
cles ; for thou art the spouse of Christ.
Mayest thou experience what is therein said
of the glories of thy heavenly Bridegroom ;
and mayest thou grow in love to his adora-
ble person, by finding continual tokens of
his love to thv soul, in the several offices
which he sustains for the dispensing of his
favours. In these offices he is alwaj's en-
dearing himself to his people. And this is
the

Second thing, w^hereby the fathers in
Christ grow^ in the knowledge of him. There
is not a want which sin has brought upon be-
lievers, but there is an office in Christ, ^^ here
it may be supplied ; and the sense and feel-
incj of that want, leading them to trust in
him upon the warrant of his word and pro-
mise, will certainly bring them a supply in the
hour of need. His offices are many, but they
may be all included in these five. He is the
Saviour, the Prophet, the Priest, the King,
and the Advocate of his people.

153

The Saviour, Jesus, a dear name, descrip*
fcive of his infinite grace, and sweetly suited
to the sinner's wants. Whatever pollution or
guilt he has contracted — whatever misery he
deserves to suffer in time or in eternity — Je-
sus is Jehovah, almighty to save him : for he
was called Jesus, because he was to save his
people from their sins. Whatever they stand
in need of to make them happy — wisdom^
righteousness, holiness, comfort, or strength
— it is all in the fulness of Jesus, freely pro-
mised, and by faith received ; as it is writ-
ten— '' Ye are saved freely by grace, through
faith ;" and saved for ever : for Jesus is the
Author of eternal salvation. The spirits of
just men made perfect in glory, are said to
be crying with a loud voice — '' Salvation to
our God, who sitteth upon the throne, and
to the Lamb, for ever and ever." So that
the name Jesus, is dear and precious to the
saints in heaven ; they are happily employed
in ascribing the glory of their eternal salva-
tion to the Lamb of God. And the believer
has, at present, a part of their happiness :
for Jesus is the Saviour. He can trust him

154

for all the promised blessings of his salva-
tion ; and live by faith upon him for the re-
ceiving them. As every moment some of
them are wanted, so the Saviour's love in
bestowing them is more experienced ; faith
in him is thereby strengthened ; and love to
him increased. And these graces will be
continually growing, while the believer views
the state of guilt and misery, from which Je-
sus has saved him — the state of safety in
which he has placed him— and the blessings
which he has promised him in life, and death,
and in eternity. Must not such a saviour
become more precious, for continuing day
by day such free and unmerited benefits?
And who can receive them, sensible of his
unworthiness, without rejoicing in such a
salvation, and admiring and adoring the
goodness of the saviour? Oh, most blessed
Jesus, increase the faith of thy people, that
they may glorify thee more by depending up*
on thee for all the promised blessings of thy
salvation. Teach them how to do this as
the great

Prophet of the house of God. This is

155

another of liis gracious offices, suited to the
ignorance of iiis people : for when sin sepa-
rated them from God, tliey then lost the light
of life, and had no means left in their
own power to discover God, and the things
of God. Hear what two infallible witnesses
say to this fact — -'" There is none that un-
derstandeth, there is none that seeketh after
God/' ]\Iind, here is no exception ; the
prophet knew^ not one ; neither did the apos-
tle— ^' All the Gentiles had the understand-
ing darkened : being alienated from the life
of God, through the ignorance that is in them,
because of the blindness of their hearts/'
To man, in this state of ignorance, what
could be so suitable as a prophet ? And what
prophet like him, who, being God, is posses-
sed of infinite wisdom ; and being God-man.
has that infinite w isdom for his people's use r
He was made unto them wisdom ; that l)y
his divine teaching, he might enlighten their
understandings, and by leading them into all
truth, might make them w ise unto salvation.
He begins his teaching, with discovering to
^^em their ignorance ; which is a hard lesson

156

to learii ; but he uses such mildness and gen-
tleness with his authority, that by degrees
he subdues their pride, and makes them wil-
ling to sit at his feet to hear his words.
This is the humble posture of all his true
disciples. They receive him by faith for their
teacher, convinced that without him they can
learn nothing which belongs to their peace,
and having been tor some time under his
teaching, they grow more sensible of their
want of it. He discovers to them more of
their isnorance, and thereby brings them to a
closer dependence upon him for wisdom.
And that is the way they rise in his school.
Whoever is the m.ost humble and teachable,
he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
The abiding sense of his standing in need of
the divine Prophet every moment makes him
the highest scholar. And the Lord keeps
him in this dependant state, waiting upon
him for his continual instruction, in hear-
ing and reading the word ; and in prayer
for the enlightening Spirit to make the word
effectual. The great Prophet could teach
without these means ; but he has commanded

157
us, in the use of them, to wait upon him :
for in them he has promised to meet and
bless his people, and for the fulfilling of this
promise they wait. Christ's presence they
look for in the use of all means, and they
find it. He teaches them, how liable they
are to err, how little they know, how soon
they forget; and thus they grow in a depen-
dence upon, and in love to their divine
Teacher. And as all the treasures of wis-
dom and knowledge are in him, and they can
know at present but in part, they there-
fore will be waiting upon him for more, still
more knowledge ; and he answers his charac-
ter, he teaches them wisdom. He shous
them dangers, discovers to them the devices
of satan, guards them against the errors and
heresies of the day, makes manifest the
snares of the world; and in all respects fulfils
to them the office of an infallible prophet :
for he keeps them from resting upon any-
false foundation, and enables them to build
all their hopes of acceptance with God upon
the atonement made by the high

Priest of our profession, Christ Jesu5..
O

•1

d f

158

This is his chief office. He is our Proi)het
to teach us our guilty helpless state, and
to bring us to rely upon him to save us from
it, by being our Priest, All we have sin-
ned, and have incurred the pains and pe- I
nalties due to sin. We are all justly liable
<to the sufferings and death, to the curse,
and to the separation from God, threatened
in his law to transgressors ; and we have
no means in our own power to escape them.
How full then of grace and love was the
heart of our blessed Immanuel, that he
would vouchsafe to be a priest to offer gifts
and sacrifices for sin ? His i^ifts were in-
finitely precious — he gave himself for us,
the gift of his eternal godhead, the gift of
his immaculate manhood, body and soul ; in
which he obeyed perfectly, and so magni-
fied the law, that it may be eternally ho-
nourable in admitting those, who have sin-
ned, into heaven — the gift of his prevailing f
prayer for all that shall believe in him to
the end of the world — and the gift of his
body and soul to be once oflered for sin, in
the place and in the stead of sinners ; as it

159
is written, ^- He suftered once for sins, the
just for the unjust, that he might bring us
unto God — He died for our sins according
to the scriptures — He was made a curse
for us, that he might redeem us from the
curse of the law, and that we Avho some-
times were afar oflf might be made nigh by
his blood, and might through him have ac-
cess by one Spirit unto the Father." In
these most precious gifts, in this everlasting-
ly meritorious Sacrifice, consists the office of
our divine priest ; and upon him the believer
rests. He is enabled upon this foundation
to build all his hopes of acceptance. The
great atonement made by Jesus's obedience
unto death, is all his salvation, and all his
desire — all his salvation : for he looks no
where else, but to Jesus and him crucified :
he depends upon nothing else to save him
from suffering and death, from the curse
of the law, and from being eternally sepa-
rated from God. And this is all his de-
sire— to get a closer acquaintance, and more
intimate communion with the crucified Je-
sus. This is his one study and delightr—

160

1 have determined, says he, to know no-
thing but Jesus, by whom I have now re-
ceived the atonement. God forbid that I
should glory, except in the cross of my
Lord Jesus Christ. I would look upon all
other things as dross and dung, compared
to the excellency of the knowledge of that
one offering, by which he hath perfected foir
ever them that are sanctified. In this his
priestly office, bleeding and dying for me,
he is beyond description, beyond concep-
tion, full of grace and truth; and daily he
becomes more lovely in mine eyes. As I
discover more of the exceeding sinfulness
of my heart and life, my meritorious Priest
grows more dear to me : I rest more safely
on his atonement, satisfied of its infinite
sufficiency to bring me near to God. And
finding my faith and hopes established in
it, and through it a free access to the Fa-
ther, Jesus, the sacrificed Lamb of God, be-
comes day by day more precious to my
heart. His blood and righteousness are the
continual rejoicing of my soul. Oh! how
happy am I in this my royal Priest : fpr

161
now, even now, have I redemption in his
blood, the forgiveness of sins — I am safe
from the destroying angel under the blood
of sprinkling ; and I have also boldness to
enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus.
Daily do I experience more of the riches of
his grace, comforting, strengthening, and
sanctifying me through faith in his most
precious blood. Through this he saves me
from hell ; through this he bestows upon me
heaven ; and for this shall be my song of
everlasting praise. Unto him who hath
thus exceedingly loved me, and hath wash-
ed me from my sins in his own blood, and
hath made me, the vilest of sinners,^ a king
and a priest (amazing grace !) unto God and
his Father ; to him be glory and dominion
for ever and ever. Auicil

These are the breathings of the believing
soul, now become well grounded upon the
atonement, and living upon the priestl}^ of-
fice of the Lord Jesus Christ, for peace and
joy, and expecting to be established in them
continually by his power, which makes an-
other of his offices necessary : for some cor»

O 2

162

raption or enemy, temptation or trouble,
will be always trying to draw the eye of
faith from looking unto Jesus the High
Priest of our profession ; and such is the
believer's helplessness, that he could not be
fixed a moment, was not Jesus a priest upon
Ws throne, almighty to make all his enemies
his footstool, and to rule in and over his peo-
ple as their

KINO. In this relation he exceedingly
endears himself to them : for they are in
themselves weak and helpless. They are
without strength to resist the least tempta-
tion, or to overcome the weakest enemy.
They cannot of themselves subdue one cor-
ruption, or get the victory over a single lust.
Neither can they perform one act of spiritu-
al life. They cannot make nor keep them-
selves alive to God by any power of their
own : for without Christ they can do no-
thing. Most mercifully then is his kingly
office suited to their weakness. He is the
great king^ over all the earth, as God ; but
^le has a peculiar rule in and over believers
4^ God-man, the Head of the body the

163

church ; to which he is connected by as
close and near a bond, as the members of
the body are with the head. He is the
first in dignity, as the head is, and in all
things has the pre-eminence ; and what the
natural head is to its members, the same he
is to the members of his spiritual body : for
he is the Head, from which all the body, by
joints and bands, having nourishment minis-
tered, and knit together, increaseth with the
increase of God. And for the ministering
of proper nourishment and influence to his
members, he has all power in heaven and
earth in his hand. He is the Lord God
omnipotent, whose kingdom ruleth over all.
It is not an outward thing, like the kingdoms
of the world ; but, says he, the kingdom of
God is within you. He sets it up within,
in the hearts of his people, and there he
sways the sceptre of his grace, subduing all
the evils within, and conquering all the ene-
mies without, by his almighty arm. He
takes them and theirs under his royal pro-
tection, and manages all their matters for
them, until he bring them by his power, un-

164^
to eternal salvation. The power is his ; - but
by faith it becomes theirs. When they find
themselves helpless and without strength,
then they look up to him to make them
strong in the Lord, and by faith rest upon
his promised strength, and thereby receive
whatever degree of it is needful at that
time. Thus they live by faith upon their
almighty King, and they glorify him by
trusting in him for strength. By daily ex-
perience they become more sensible of their
w^eakncss, and learn to live more out of
themselves upon him. They find the safety,
the comfort of this. They see it is far bet-
ter for them to be dependant upon Christ,
that his powder may rest upon them, than
that they should be strong in themselves :
and therefore they rejoice ; they take plea-
sure in their own weakness, because it illus-
trates and magnifies the powder of Christ,
who does all for them, and in them.

Hear one of these happy believers thus
describing his case : I was cauglit up, says
he, into the third heavens, into paradise, and
I heard there unspeakable words, which it

165

is not possible for a man to utter : and lest
I should be exalted above measure, through
the abundance of the revelations, there was
given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messen-
ger of satan to buffet me, lest I should be
exalted above measure ; for this thing I be-
sought the Lord thrice, that he would take
it away from me. And he said unto me,
My grace is sufficient for thee — My grace
is sufficient to sanctify this cross, and to sup-
port thee under it ; it will be for my glory
and for thy good it should be continued :
because my strength is made perfect in
weakness — The weaker thou art, the more
will my strength be magnified in bearing
thee up, until faith and patience have their
perfect work. This divine answer from my
Lord and King satisfied me, and I have for
fourteen years had sweet experience of the
truth of it. I am a witness to the all- suffi-
ciency of Jesus's grace ; but never have I
found so much of it, as when I have been
the most helpless in myself; and therefore
most gladly will I glory in njy infirmities and
weaknesses, that the power of Christ may

166

ifest upon me, that his power may be
tinually glorified by my continually depend|
ing upon him for it ; and that I may have
fresh evidence of Christ's power workin|
mightily in nre. Since the Lord is thus
come my strength, I take pleasure in infirm-^
ities, in reproaches, in necessities, in perse^
cutions, in distresses for Christ's sake, in
whatever I suffer for him and his cause:
for when I am v/eak, then am I strong, —
weak in myself, strong in the Lord; strong-
er in him the more sensible I am of my
own w'eakness, and then strongest of all,
when finding I can do nothing, I live by
faith upon him to do all for me. In this
state of weakness and dependence I glory, I
take perfect pleasure in it ; because it ho-
nours the kingly office of my Lord Christ,
and makes it plain to myself and others,
that he keeps me every moment by his
mighty power : for since I can do nothing,
the excellency of the power which does all
in nie and by me, appears evidently to be of
God, and not of man.

Reader, is not this ati happy cHse? Is' not

167
that man blessed whose strength is in the
Lord, and who can say in faith, Surely in
the Lord have I strength ? And what hin-
ders thee from being as strong in the Lord'
as Paul was ? Thou hast the same promises,
the same God and Saviour to fulfil them ;
and, for thy greater encouragement, to live
upon him by faith, for the fulfilling of them
to thee, he has another ofiice, in which he
condescends to be thy

ADVOCATE, freely to take thy cause
in hand, and to see it carried in the court of
heaven. In this character he would repre-
sent himself, as having undertaken to an-
swer all charges against thee, from whatever
quarter they come, and to obtain for thee
every blessing promised in his word, and for
which thou appliest to him by faith in the
time of need. In this amiable light he
would have thee to consider him as thy days-
man, to whom, being thy Saviour and thy
Friend, thou mayest safely refer thy cause,
as the INIediator between God and man,
who will transact all thy matters for thee
with the Father, and as thv interceesor who

168

appears in the presence of God for thee,
that every blessing of his salvation may be
thine. Under these names the scripture
describes the advocateship of the Lord
Christ, which office he sustains for thy sake,
to encourage thee to come with boldness to
the throne of his grace. Thou hast a friend
there, who is bound by his word, and also
by his office, to see that thou want no man-
ner of thing which is good ; and although
all things seem to make against thee, and
thou canst find no human means of obtain-
ing the promised good, which thou wantest^
then look up to the Lord Jesus. Thou
wilt glorify him at such a time, if thou
canst trust in his intercession, and if the
workings of thy faith be such as these — •

Although I am less than the least of
God's mercies, a vile sinner ; and to this
moment an unprofitable servant, deserving
for my very best works and duties, to be pun-
ished with everlasting destruction from the
presence of the Lord ; yet glory be to his
infinite grace, I have an advocate with the
Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous;- and he

1 69
is the Propitiation for my sins. All the bles-
sings which he has promised to give his clear
people, as their Saviour, their Prophet,
Priest, and King, he is my advocate with
the Father to obtain for me. — A righteous
advocate^ who asks nothing but what he has
a right to, and who never asks in vain. It
hath pleased the Father, that all fulness
should dwell in the head of the body, the
church ; and it pleaseth him that the mem-
bers should, from the fulness of their head,
receive abundantly all the influence they
want: for the Father himself loveth them;
and out of his infinite love gave his Son to
be their head, that he might fill all in all of
them. What then may not I expect from
such an Advocate with such a Father? Al-
ready have I received so much, that I know
Jesus appears in the presence of God for
me. I can trust my cause in his hands.
He has taught me to leave all my matters to
his management, and I desire more simply
to resign them up to him. I find every thing
goes on well, which is left to his direction;

and nothing miscarries, but what I undertake

P

170

without him. Oh, for more faith! The Lord
increase it, that my precious advocate may
be more glorified by my trusting him more,
and that he may have all the honour of con-
ducting my affairs, spiritual and temporal, in
earth and heaven, in time and in eternity :
Even so be it, Lord Jesus.

After the believer has been taught thus to ,
trust the Lord Christ, and to expect that ^
grace, which, in his several offices, he is en-
gaged to give, then his conversation will be
well ordered ; and as he daily grows in faith
and dependence upon Christ, he will walk
more in the comfort of the Holy Ghost : his
outward, as well as inward matters^ will
come under the influence of grace • and will
be left to the direction and government of
the Lord Jesus ; which is another excellency
of the life of faith ; and which renders it in-^
finitely pl'eferable to any other w^ay of living.

The state of the case is this : Christ has
all power in heaven and earth, given unto
him. As God-man, he has a mediatorial
kingdom, w^hieh fuleth over all created be-
ings and things : for they subsist by the w^ord

171
of his power ; and are upheld by his provi-
dence : so that whatever, in his infinite love
and wisdom, he sees best for his people, he is
almio"hty to bestov/ it on them. They can
want no promised good, nor suffer any out-
ward evil ; but he is able to give the one,
and to deliver from the other. Their w ants
are many ; their sufferings great. Sin has
brought disorder upon the whole creation,
The outward state of man in the w^orld is
full of misery ; not only following him, but al-
so in him ; in his very frame and constitution.
Pain, sickness, mortality in his body, emp-
tiness in his enjoyments, disappointments,
losses, worldly cares, something or other in
body or estate troubling him ; for man is born
to trouble. What manner of love, then, is
this, that God our Saviour would ,take these
things under his government, and manage
them for the good of his people ; whom he
w^ould have to be happy in him in this world,
as \^ell as in the next? He has given them
many great and precious promises relating to
the life that now is ; and he is faithful, who
hath promised to supply their earthly wants.

172

to sanctify their sufferings, and to make alV
things work together, under him, for their
good. He has kindly undertaken their tem-
poral, as well as their spiritual concerns ; for
nothing was left out of the covenant of grace.
It was ordered in all things. The outward
state and condition of believers, their pover-
ty or riches, health or sickness, trials of every
kind ; how great they should be, how long
they should continue, are all appointed and
unalterably fixed ; nothing left for chance to
do. When the Lord God determined to bring
many sons unto glory through Christ Jesus,
the means by which he intended to bring
them unto that end, were in his purpose, as
well as the end itself : therefore all things
were ordered and made sure, even to the
very hairs of their head ; for they are all
numbered. What a continual source of
comfort is this to believers ? Their present
happiness is provided for as well as their
eternal, in the covenant of grace. God is
become their God, has made himself known
to them in this covenant-relation, and has
thereby bound himself to give whatever he

173

sees will be the best for them. But because
he knoweth their frame, and how apt they
are, under hard and long trials of faith, to
be discouraged, he has therefore made them
many sweet temporal promises for their sup-
port. Lest they should be w^eary and faint
in their minds, he has engaged to deliver
them from all evil. '' Many are the afflictions
of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth
him out of them all," Psabn xxxiv. 19. He
delivers two ways, either by entirely remov-
ing the affliction, or by changing its nature ;
for he takes the curse out of it, and turns it
into a real blessing, he makes it the means
of increasing faith and patience ; sw^eetens it
with a sense of his presence, and demon-
strates that it comes from love, by its in-
creasing love to him in the heart of the right
eous. This is the best deliverance, as one
of the greatest sufferers for Christ witnesses,
w^ho, upon the mention of his afflictions, de-
clares : " Out of them all the Lord deliver-
ed me," by saving me from the evil that was
in them, and by making them yield the

peaceable fi'uit of righteousness,
P 2

174

The Lord has also engaged to bestow
upon believers all good : " They that seek
the Lord shall not want any good thing."
Psal. xxxiv. 10. Their loving Shepherd
will see that they lack nothing; no good
thing will he with-hold from them. To the
same purpose are the promises in the New
Testament, Matt. vi. 33. Seek ye first the
kingdom of God and his righteousness, and
all these things, food and raiment, and
all necessaries, shall be added unto you : I
your God and Saviour give you my word
for it ; trust me, and you shall never want.
With confidence did he believe it, w ho said
to the Philippians, iv 19. " My God shall
supply ALL your need, according to his rich-
es in glory by Christ Jesus." What a pow^-
erful motive is here for the streno;thening of
our faith, that, be our wants ever so many^
ever so great, our God has engaged to sup-
ply them all ? We may boldly then cast all
our care upon him, since he careth for us,
and may rest assured of his managing our
whole outward estate, infinitely better than
we could for ourselves. What trouble.

175

what burdens shall we be hereby eased of!
"What peace of mind shall we enjoy, when
we can give up all our temporal concerns
into the Lord's hands, and by faith see them
all conducted for our good, by his infinite
wisdom and almighty love ! Blessed, surely,
is the man who thus putteth his trust in the
Lord his God. He is delivered from the
anxious care of getting, and from the fear
of losing what he has got : he is easy about
the present, the future he leaves to the Lord :
his conversation is without covetousness,
and he is content with suchtbinirs as he has,
and thereby he escapes thousands of the
common troubles of life. In this sweet
peace he enjoys his soul, because the Lord
has said to him — " I will never leave thee
nor forsake thee," in any state, in any want,
or in any distress — I will be ever with thee
to turn all things, seem they ever so afflict-
in^y, into real blessings. Trustino; to this
word, which cannot be broken, he may bold-
ly say, the Lord is my helper, and I will not
fear what man shall do unto me : let the
world persecute me, my trade fail, poverty

}76
pinch me, sickness pain me, friends leave
me, and all outward comforts forsake me,
nevertheless 1 am a happy man. The Lord
Christ is^ my portion, my all sufficient por-
tion still ; and these things, being of his
appointment, are for the best. I find them
so, glory be to him. He makes them the
means of weaning me from the world,
deadening the old man of sin, bringing
me to a more intimate acquaintance with
himself, and to a greater experience of
his goodness to my soul ; whereby he ena-
bles me to trust all things for time and for
eternity in his hands, who hath said unto
me, and faithful is he that hath spoken, who
also will do it, ''1 will never leave thee nor
forsake thee."

But some may say, are there a»y persons
who live thus above the world, freed from its
cares, and fears, and troubles ? Yes, thanks
be to God for his unspeakable gift. He
has promised to make all things to work to-
gether for good to them that love him, and
he has had witnesses in every age of his
faithfulness in fulfilling his promises. Read
tiiat little book of martyrs, Hebirws xi. and

177
you will see how happy they were in God,
not only in prosperity, but also when all the
W'orld was against them. Great were the
triumphs of their faith. They chose to suf-
fer affliction, rather than to enjoy the plea-
sures of sin for a season; they esteemed
the reproach of Christ, and set more value
upon it, than upon riches and honours. And
we have a great cloud of witnesses in the
New Testament, who rejoiced, that they
were accounted worthy to suffer shame for
the name of Christ; who blessed their revi-
lers, prayed for their persecutors, and took
joyfully the spoiling of their goods. Hear
one of them speaking the sentiments of the
rest : '^ I account all things but loss, for the
excellency of the knowledge. of Christ Jesus
my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss
of all things ; and I do account them but
dung, that I may win Christ." Still there
are some among us of Paul's mind. The
Lord hath not left himself without wit-
ness. We have a few names, (may the
Lord daily add to their number,) who pan
trust all their temporal afiairs in the hands

178

of Christ, and Mho find the happmess oi
having them in his management. He does
all things well for them : what would make
them unhappy he takes upon himself —
" Cast thy burden on the Lord/' says he,
*' and he shall sustain thee/' and he does
sustain the weight of it, and thereby frees
them from anxious care, and gives them
sweet content. They have enough, let them
have ever so little of outward things, because
they have got the Pearl of great price.
Christ is theirs, and the Spirit of Christ
enables them to make up all their happiness
in him, and not in the things which perish in
the using. Christ, with bread and water, is
worth ten thousand worlds. Christ, with
pain, is better than the highest pleasures of
sin. Christ, with all outward sufferings, is
matter of present, and of eternal joy. Surely
these are the only happy people living. Rea-
der, art thou not one of them ? Art thou not
a partaker of their happiness? If thou art
a believer, it is thy privilege ; thy title to it
is good, and thou en^erest into possession by
faith ; and if it be so weak that thou art not

179
so happy as they are, thou shouldest take
shame to thyself for distionouring God thy
Saviour, for robbing hiin of his glory before
men, and for injuring thine own soul^ bv not
committing all thy outward matters unto his
guidance. What could he do more, than he
has done^ to encourage thee to leave them
to him, that he might manage them for thee?
He has given thee argument upon argument,
promises in abundance, bonds which cannot
be broken, immutable things, in which it is
impossible that God should, lie, to convince
thee that thou mayest safely trust in him
for all temporal things, which he knows will
be for thy good. O pray then for more
faith. Beg of the Lord to enable thee to
walk more by faith, and less by sense, that
thou mayest commit thy w ay entirely unto
him, and he may direct all thy paths. The
tnore thou trusteth in him, the happier he
will make thee. Therefore daily intreat
him to deliver thee from taking any anxious
thought for thy life, v.hat thou shalt eat, or
what thou shalt drink ; or yet for thy body
what thou shalt put on. Since he knoweth

iS()

thou hast need of all those things, and has
sent thee to the fowls of the air, and to the
grass of the field, to see what a rich provi-
sion he makes for them ; art thou not much
better than they? Oh ! pray still for the in-
crease of faith, that all thy worldly matters
being resigned, and given up into the hands
of the Lord thy God, thou may est be eased
of many weights and burdens^ and mayesl
run with more patience and joy the raca,
that is set before thee.

As these fathers in Christ learn by daily
experience, to live more upon him for th
bread that perisheth, so do they for th
bread that endureth unto everlasting life
They attain to a fixed settled dependence
upon Christ for the conducting of all things
belonging to their state of grace, to their
comfortable walk in it, and to their finishing
their course happily. They grow in the know*
ledge of those blessed truths, are more
grounded and better established in them, and
these being received and enjoyed by faith, do
manifest the excellency of living by it above
hny other state, except that of glory.

1

181

Firstj they are pardoned and accepted iu
the Beloved — in him partakers of every
covenant-^iercy : for he was made of God
unto them wisdom, righteousness, sanctifi-
cation, and redemption. His whole salva-
tion is theirs. And this is their state of
grace, into w4iich he has brought them, and
by faith put them into the present enjoy-
ment of it.

This was largely treated of before, but
cannot be too much insisted upon^ both be-
cause there is a growth in the knowledge of
the covenant, and clearer evidence daily
to be had of the believer's interest in it; and
also because the love, and wisdom, and
mercy, in contriving, the power in execu- '
ting, the grace in applying, the blessings of
the covenant, are all infinite. The height
and depth, the length and breadth of those
divine perfections cannot be fully compre-
hended. They surpass knowledge ; so that
if a believer knows a great deal of the way
of salvation ; yet there is still more, far
more to be known. So long ^s he lives
he must be learning, waiting upon the

Q

182

divine Prophet for Iiis inward teaching, and
he will become more dependant upon him,
the more he learns : for the wiser he grows,
the clearer views will he have of his having
attained as yet but little w isdom, w hich
makes him press forward. He believes,
that all the treasures of wisdom, and know^-
iedge, are laid up in Christ ; and he longs
for more knowledge of his gracious under-
takings, of his adorable person, and of his
full and free salvation. He follows on to
know the Lord. He advances from one
degree to another, from faith to faith, and
is not satisfied with any discovery until that
which is in part be done away, and he shall
know even as also he is known.

The believer, being thus satisfied that he
is in a safe state, looks up to the Lord, to
keep him, and to enable him to walk com-
fortably in it, which is another excellency
of the life of faith. All things are well
ordered in the covenant, for every step he
is to take : all treasured up in the fulness
of Christ, and by faith received out of it.
The believer has many enemies opposing

183

him in his way heaven-wards; but in Christ
he has strength sufficient to conquer them
all, and does conquer them. His worst ene-
my, that gives him most uneasiness, is in-
d welling sin, which is never at rest, like the
troubled sea, always casting up some of its
filthy motions and corruptions ; so that
when he is in prayer, it is ever trying to
amuse and distract tlie mind with a thou-
sand vain and idle thoughts, to weaken faith
by its carnal reasonings and doubts, or when
he is in any holy duty, it is ever present M'ith
him to liinder him from doing it so perfect-
ly as he would. Over this enemy there is
no victory but by faith. The old man of
sin defies all strength, except that which is
almighty, and therefore this the Lord has
promised ; and these believers had experi-
ence of his faithfulness, whose iniquities he
had pardoned, and w^ho declared, JlTich. vii.
19. " He will subdue our iniquities." He
will do it : He is engaged by promise, by
office ; it is his glory to save his people from
the dominion of their sins. On him there-
fore they depend for continual victory; and

184
according to their faith so is it done unto
them. While they fight against sin, relying^
on the strength of their almighty King, theyJ
always conquer. His arm subdues the
strongest lust ; but if they attack the weak*
est without him, they are infallibly conquer-fj
ed. -And this has so often happened tot
jthose fathers that know him that is from
the beginning, that now^ they never dare go
down to battle, but with their eyes upon
the Lord. He has taught them to depend
wholly upon him for the crucifying of the
old man of sin day by day, and in the pow-
er of his might armies of lusts are made to
flee before them. The Captain of their sal-
vation encourages them to fight on, not only
by subduing sin in them; but also by mak-
ing this the earnest of their having in him aa
absolute mortification of sin. By faith they
see it, and his victorious grace will never
leave tliem until he put them into full pos-
session of it. Thanks be to God through
Jesus Christ their I^ord, ere long they shall
have perfect and everlasting victory ove*
the whole body and being of sin. And,

185

As the old man is thus crucified, so is the

new man quickened by the power of Jesus,

received by faith, according to what ie

written, '' The just shall live by his faith."

The justified person, by his union with

Christ, is a partaker of the grace of life,

and in virtue of this union he live^ upon

Christ as a member does in the body, and

thereby he has communion with the Father,

by the bond of the Spirit ; and this spiritual

life is begun and carried on by faith ; it is a

life of faith, not as if faith quickened a dead

sinner : for Christ is our life. But the sense

and comfort, and strength of that life which

Christ gives, are received by faith, and

these are according as faith is. If faith be

weak, so are they. As it grows, so do they.

Which discovers to us another wonderful

excellency of the life of faith, since by it we

now partake of a spiritual and eternal life :

^' For he that believeth hath everlasting

life ;" hath it now, is already passed from

death unto life; and he looks up to the Lord

and giver of it for every thing needful, and

expects it out of his fulness. Hear one of

Q2

186

these happy believers thus relating his case.
I am dead to the law, says he, yet alive to
God ; I am crucified with Christ, and am a
partaker of the merit and power of his cross,
and by faith I have in him an absolute cru-
cifixion of sin ; and although the old man is
thus crucified, yet the new man liveth : ne-
vertheless I live, yet not I — I live a spiritual
life, yet not 1 as a natural man — I did not
quicken myself, I cannot keep myself alive ;
Christ liveth in me, he is the Author of my
life, and on him I depend for the continu-
ance of it in time and in eternity : for the life
which I now live in the flesh, w hile I am in
this body of sin and death, I live by the
faith of the Son of God ; he is the Author,
he is the Object of that faith, by which I
have received life from him : by an act of
sovereign grace he quickened me from a
death in trespasses and sins, and united me
as a living member into his mystical body,
and 1 am kept alive through his living, act-
ing, and w orking in me by his Spirit ; he
dw elleth in my heart by faith, and the more
clearly I se^ this, the more do I love and en-

187

joy the Prince of life, my precious, above all
expression, infinitely, eternally precious Je-
sus, who loved me and gave himself for
me, that by his death I might be dead to
sin, and by his resurrection uiight live to
and with God for ever and ever. Thanks
and praise be to thee without ceasing, thou
dear Lamb of God, for thy love to me the
chief of sinners. Let all tliy people say^
Amen.

This is the happy case of those believers,
who are, like the blessed Paul, strong in the
Lord Christ. By his death tliey are dead to
sin, and because he liveth they are alive to
God : for they who are joined to the Lord
are one spirit. And as their faith increases,
they have more spiritual fellov/ship with
Christ in his death and resurrection, not only
in the merit, but also in the efficacy of both.
They grow more dependant upon the Lord's
strength, and he daily mortifies in them the
old man of sin, and as he grows weaker their
other enemies have less power over them. By
their lusts satan tempts them ; the more these
are mortified, the weaker will be his tempta*

tions. By their lusts^ by the lusts of the flesh,
the lust of the eye, and the pride of life, the
world tempts them ; as these are subdued,
they will be more crucified to the world.
Christ Irving, dwelling, and reigning in them
by faith, will day by day weaken the strength
of sin and satan, and the world ; and by the
power of his death and resurrection he will
be conforming them more to his own image
and likeness. He will by faith enable them
to be growing up into him in all things, as
long as they live. They will be going on
from strength to strength, till sin and death
be swallowed up in victory.

Until that happy time come, he has ap-
pointed certain means, in the use of which,
they are to wait for the continual receiving
of grace from him, to deaden the old man^
and for the growth of the new. And this
grace they receive ; not merely because they
use the means, but because they use them in
faith ; expecting his presence in, and bles-
sing upon them. Believers set the Lord al-
ways before them, and look, through the
means, at him : for without him, they are

189
good for nothing ; but when observed, ac-
cording to his mind and will, as acts of trust
in his promise, and of dependence upon liis
feitlifulness ; then they answer the end for
which they were instituted, and become the
means of spiritual communion with him.
And thus legal duties becom.e Christian pri-
vileges. One of these means is attendance
apon public worship ; the ground and reason
for which, is Christ's promise — " Where two
or three are gathered together, in my name,
there am 1 in the midst of them." — Two or
three believers make a church, when they are
gathered together in the name of Christ's di-
vinity. By faith they expect the fulfilling of
his promise, and his presence in the midst of
them ; and they are then most spiritual wor-
shippers, when they are looking most unto
Jesus, and enjoying communion with him.
What are their prayers, but acts of faith and
dependanc^ ? " Whatever ye shall ask, says
Christ, in my name, believing, ye shall re-
ceive.'' Which words show us, that pray-
er is nothing worth, unless it be presented in
Christ's name ; and in faith relying on

190

Christ's promise to hear and answer. The
object of prayer, is the Godhead in three
persons. The address to each, is in their
covenant offices ; and the petitions to each
should be according as they stand related to
sinners in those offices ; and the communion
with the divine persons is thus expressed—-
'^^ Through Christ Jesus we have an access
by one Spirit unto the Father ;" and what-
ever we ask, believing, we receive. What
is believers' hearing the word? Is it not a
continual dependance upon their divine
Teacher^ to make his word, spirit, and life,
unto their souls ? They expect his presence
to enable them to mix faith with what they
hear ; and then they grow thereby. What
is their keeping the Lord's day ? Is it not to
express their belief of his being risen, and
entered into his rest ; and of their having,
by believing, entered into rest also? And,
therefore, they wait upon Christ in the ordi-
nances, to keep them, until he bring them to
his eternal sabbath ; to that rest which re-
maineth for the people of God. What is
their attendance upon the Lord's supper?

191

Is it not the communion of the blood of
Christ, and the communion of the body of
Christ ; a real partaking by faith of his bro-
ken body, and of his precious blood-shed-
ding, and of all the benefits of his passion?
In these, and all other ways of God's ap-
pointment, they expect Christ's presence, and
therefore they go to them with gladness of
heart to meet him. He is the dear Object
of iheir love, and he grows more lovely by
every day's experience. They taste and see
more how gracious he is ; and, therefore, to
converse with him in prayer, and to be in
his company in the ordinances, becomes
more sweet and delightful to them. Oh !
w hat happy moments do they therein spend !
AH the great, rich, and pleasant things in
the world, are less than nothing, compared
to this joy. Communion w ith Christ is hea-
ven begun ; and by faith they enjoy it ; and
nothing can rob them of it, but sin ; w hich
makes them careful in their life and conver-
sation, to please their gracious Lord. They
depend upon him to teach them his will, and
to give them strength to perform it; that

they may walk before him, in all well-pleas-
ing. Whatever is opposite to his will^ they
dread ; because it w ould deprive them of
their greatest blessing, even communion with
their best and bosom friend. Sin, viewed in
this lio;ht, is blacker and viler than all the
devils in hell. The love of Christ shows
sin in its exceeding Sinfulness ; and faith,
working by love to Christ, gains daily victo-
ry over it. He who has the love of Christ
in his heart, will be thereby sweetly con-
strained to fight against, and powerfully en-
abled to conquer sin ; so that it cannot sepa-
rate him from his beloved Saviour ; nay, it
shall make him live in closer and nearer con-
nexion. The motions of sin within, and
temptations without, to which he is continu-
ally liable, will show him the necessity of
living in a settled dependance upon the grace
and strength of the Captain of his salvation ;
who will lead him on, conquering and to
conquer, until he make him at last more than
conqueror.

The same faith, working by love, has
gained the hearts and affections of believers

193

over to the interest of holiness, and the
commandments now cease to be grievous.
Love to Christ, who is perfect righteousness
and holiness, cannot consist w ith the hatred
of eitlier ; nay, they are renewed after his
image in both ; and renewed in knowledge,
that they might know his precious image ;
and renewed in heart, that they might love it;
therefore, being thus created anew in Christ
Jesus, they will certainly, in the inner man,
delight in ricrhteousness and true holiness. He
has shed his love abroad in their hearts, has
won them to himself, and now nothing is dear-
er to them than that everlasting righteousness
by which he justifies them, and that true
holiness, of which they are become partakers
in him, which they evidence by a holy walk,
and in which he will present them holy, and
unblameable, and unrebukeable, before the
Father. Thus he has perfectly secured
the interest of holiness and the glory ot the
most holy God ; for they are his workman-
ship, created unto good works, to love them,
to do them, to walk in them, as the way to

R

194
the kingdom, and they live by faith upr
on Christ's strength for will and power to
do them, and upon his intercession for
the acceptance of them, laying them all up-
on the golden altar that sanctifieth the
gifts. Thus their whole dependence is
upon Christ. He is all, and in all, of
their christian walk. To him they look
for every thing needful, to enable them to
glorify God in their lives, and to show
forth the virtues of him that hath called
them; on his grace they rely, that their
conversation may be as becometh the gospel
of Christ, and that they may adorn the doc-
trine of God their Saviour in all things ; and
they find in him a sufficiency of grace, yea,
they can do all things, and suffer all things
through Christ strengthening them. What-
ever difficulties they meet with in the way
of duty, leaning upon their Beloved, he
carries them through all — Whatever tempt-
ations, I will be with thee, says he, in the
hour of temptation ; look unto me, and thou
shalt be saved — Whatever enemies. Fear
them not, says he, for I am with thee, be

Wo
not dismayed, for I am thy God ; I will
strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea,
I will uphold thee with the right hand
of righteousness — Whatever sorrows, Your
sorrows, says he^ shall be turned into
joy, and your joy no man taketh from
you — Whatever sickness, I will strength-
en thee upon the bed of languishing, and
I will make all thy bed in thy sickness
— Whatever poverty, I will be a strength
to the poor, a strength to the needy in his
distress — Whatever persecution, Blessed are
ye, says he, who are persecuted for righte-
ousness' sake ; I pronounce you, I will make
you blessed. Thus Christ is with them,
and none of the evils or miseries of life can
separate them from him. He keeps them
safe, and carries them through all their tri-
als by his mighty power ; and , they, trust-
ing in him, find that he makes all things
work together for their good. What a
blessed life is this ! Surely there is none like
it : for the life of faith is glory begun.
The privileges, the happiness of it, are
greater than can be described. The strong-

196
est believers upon earth may daily know
more, and may experience far more of the
comfort of walking by faith, because as they
grow more established in it, they will be re-
ceiving more power over sin, and will walk
nearer to God. Having but one object
to look unto, and to live upon for all things ;
here they will be quietly settled. What
can so effectually keep them from being
tossed to and fro, as to have all fulness
treasured up for their use in Christ, and to
be brought to a fixt dependence upon this
fulness, and to live upon it for all things be-
longing to life and godliness ? Hereby sweet
peace will be established within, and there
will be a regular walk in the outward con-
versation. The whole man will experience
what the Lord has promised to his redeemed
people — '' I will cause them to walk by the
rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein
they shall not stumble. He leads them by
his Spirit, and causes them to walk by the
rivers of waters, where there are abundant
streams of grace continually flowing, and he
guides them in a strait way, that they shall

not stumble or err therein ; but shall be
kept happily to the end of their course, and
shall finish it to their everlasting joy. And
This is another inestimable privilege of be-
lievers. Christ has engaged to keep them
unto the end ; and having begun a good
work in them, he has promised never to leave
it until it be finished. What a strens;thenins
is this to their faith, and what a glory does it
put upon the whole life of faith, that it is a
life which cannot perish ? Believers have in
them the immortal seed of eternal life. This
is the crown of all : for how wall this bear
them up under crosses, support them in
troubles, carry them on in their warfare
against the flesh, the devil, and the world, and
make them defy all dangers, yea, death itself,
since they are assured, from the mouth of
God their Saviour, that none shall pluck
them out of his hands. They do not trust
themselves, or have any dependence upon
grace received, but they rely upon the faith
fulness and power of Jesus ; who has given
them abundant evidence, that he will water

them with his ^race every moment, and hold
R 2

198

them up by his strength, and they shall be
safe. How confident were believers of this
in the Old Testament ? One of them who
had attained this assurance of faith, says,
^- Surely, goodness and mercy shall follow
me all the days of my life: "and he, with
many others, who had obtained like precious
faith with him, declare,-—'' This is our God
for ever, he will be our guide even unto
death :" They were sure he would be their
God, and would follow them with mercy,
and guide them, and do them good in life
and death. To the same purpose our Lord
has promised believers, My sheep hear my
voice, and I know them, and they follow me,
and I give unto them eternal life, and they
shall never perish, neither shall any pluck
them out of my hand. " How confidently did
he trust in Christ for the liilfilling of this
blessed promise, who said, " I am fully per-
suaded that neither death nor life, nor angels,
nor princi[)alities,/n6r powers, nor things pre-
sent, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth,
nor any other creature, shall be able to sepa-
j:ate us from the love of God which is in

\99
Christ Jesus our Lord. " Oh ! sweet words of
coiiitort ! how happy was Paul in this assu-
rance of faith! It is thy privilege, believer, as
w ell as his. Thou hast the same promises that
he had, the same God to fulfil them ; and thy
faith ought to be growing until thou be as-
sured that no creature, not all the powers on
earth, nor the gates of hell, can separate
thee from Christ. They may as soon get
into heaven and cut off Christ's right hand,
which is impossible, as cut oif one of the
members of Christ's mystical body.

If thou art ready to say, I see clearly
how I should glorify my dear Lord, and
how happy I should be, if my faith was but
like Paul's, in this point ; but I am so weak
and liable to fall, and mine enemies so nu-
merous and mighty^ that I sometimes fear
I shall never be able to hold out unto the
end. Because thou art such, therefore the
Lord has given thee his promise, that he
will hold thee up, and thou shalt be safe.
And this promise is part of the covenant,
which is ordered in all things, and sure.
Look at that, and not at thyself. Consider

200

the Messenger of the covenant, in whom it
is all ordered, and by whom it is sure.
When thy unfaithfulness would discourage
thee, think of his faithfulness. Let thy
weakness remind thee of his strength. If
indeed he leave thee a single moment, thou
wilt fall : but he has promised, I will never
leave thee. If the number and strength
of thine enemies make thee fear lest thou
shouldest one day perish by the hand of
Saul, he says to thee, thou shalt be kept by
the power of God through faith unto salva-
tion. But if thou art tempted to doubt^
finding thy revolting heart apt to turn from
the Lord, '^ I will put my fear, says he,
into thy heart, that thou shalt not depart
from me." Observe, it is his faithfulness,
and power, and not thine, which is to keep
thee, and has covenanted to do it, and he
has all powder in heaven and earth, and he
has given thee promise upon promise for
the establishment of thy faith, that thou
inightest be certain he will love thee, and
keep thee unto the end. And when he has
brought thee to a certainty of it, then thy

201

oomfort will be full. Christ will be mag-
nified in thee, now he has made thee one
of those fathers, who have known him that
is from the be^innino;. He has taudit thee
so to know him, as to trust him for all
things, and in all times. This is his crown,
and glory. He has enthroned himself in
thy heart, as thy perfect Saviour, and his
kingdom is within thee, even righteousness,
and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.
Now thy calling and thy election is sure.
Thou k no west that he is faithful who hath
promised to keep thee, who also will do it.
And having this assurance of faith, attend-
ed with the rejoicing of hope ; and being
sealed by the blessed Spirit to the day of
redemption ; surely thou art an happy man,
thrice happy, whom the Lord has thus high-
ly favoured. How infinitely indebted art
thou to his grace ! Oh ! what thanks and
praises dost thou owe, more than thou canst
ever pay, for what he has already done for
thee ! and yet this is only the dawning of
the perfect day. His present favours are
only earnests and pledges of what he will

202

hereafter give thee. Therefore still trust
ill him, and he will enlighten thee more
by his Word and Spirit, he will enliven,
strengthen, and establish thee more. Thy
faith will daily rest more assuredly upon
him, the joy of thy hope will increase, thy
love will yet more abound. He will guide
thee by his counsel in an even course, and
will receive thee into glory.

Thus have I treated as I was able, of
the safety, and happiness of living by faith
upon the Son of God, and have described th€
common hindrances which stop its growth^
and the victory over them, M^hich the Lord
gives his people. I have been forced to be
very short, and could only throw out some
hints upon this copious subject. May the
good Lord pardon what is amiss, and bless
abundantly wdiat is according to his mind
and will. If thou hast followed me, reader,
in thy experience, and art indeed a happy
believer, living upon thy blessed Jesus, for
his promised heaven ; and for all things pro-
mised to thee in the way thither ; think what
41 debt thou owest him ! how dear and pre-

9

203

cious should he be to thy heart ? He has sav-
ed thee from all evil ; he will bless thee with
all good. As surely as thou hast the earnest,
thou shalt have the purchased possession.
Oh ! what a Saviour is this ! he has already
bestowed upon thee the exceeding riches of
his grace ; but how great will be the riches
of the glory, which he will give thee ? Thou
wilt soon see him as he is ; and then thou
shalt be like him. No tongue can tell how
great that glory will be ; not all the tongues
in heaven, after the number of the elect shall
be perfected ; no, not after they have enjoy-
ed it for millions of ages : never, never will
they be able to show^ forth all his praise, for
making them like himself. Surely, then,
while thou art waiting for this glory, which
shall be revealed, thou wilt be going on from
faith to faith, that thy beloved Saviour may
become more dear to thee; and that thou may-
est have more close and intimate communion
with him. Every day's experience should
bring thee to love his appearing more. Hav-
ing tasted how gracious he is, thou shouldest
be longing for the marriage-supper of the

204
Lamb, with fervent desire. And being now
a Father in Christ, and strong in faith, thou
wilt be often looking up to him, and saying
•^— Make haste, my Beloved, and take me
to thyself — let me see thee face to face, and
enjoy thee, thou dearest Jesus, whom my
soul longeth after. It is good to live upon
thee by faith ; but to live with thee is best
of all. I have found one day in thy courts,
conversing sweetly with thee, better than a
thousand; but this has only whetted my ap-
petite; the more communion 1 have with
thee, I hunger and thirst still for more. My
soul panteth for nearer, still nearer commu-
nion with thee. When shall I come to ap-
pear before the presence of God? O thou
Light of my life, thou Joy of my heart! thou
k no west how I wish for the end of my faith,
when I shall no longer see through a glass
darkly, but with open face behold the glory
of my liOrd. Thou hast so endeared thy-
self to me, thou precious Immanuel, by ten
thousand thousand kindnesses, that I cannot
be entirely satisfied, until I have the lull vi-
sion, and complete enjoyment of thyself.

205

The day of our espousals has been a blessed
time. O, for the mariiage of the Lamb ;
^vhen I shall be presented as a chaste virgin
to my heavenly Bridegroom ! How can I but
long earnestly for this full enjoyment of thy
everlasting love ! Come, Lord Jesus, let me
see thee as thou art. Come, and make me
like unto thee. I do love thee — I am now
happy in thy love — but not so as I hope to
be. I am often interrupted here, and never
love thee so much as I desire ; but these
blessed spirits standing now round thy
throne, are perfected in love. Oh ! that I
was once admitted to see, as they do, the
glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ !
Is not that the voice of my Beloved, which
I hear, answering, Surely^ I come quickly !
Amen, say I, even so come, Lord Jesus.
Make haste, my Beloved, and be thou like
to a roe, or to a young hart upon the moun-
tains of spices.

Are not these, believer, the breathings of
thy soul } Since the time for them is short,
may they grow warmer, and more affection-
ate every day ! Thou wilt wait but a little

S

Q06
wiiiie^ before thou shall see the king in his
perfect beauty ; and thou shalt be a blessed
partaker of his eternal glory. And if he
make these few lines any nrieans of bringing
thee to see more of his beauty at present-
to live more upon his fulness — and to be
happier in him ; I hope thou and I shall,
through his grace, meet him soon, and give
him, to eternity, the glory of this, and of all
his other mercies. To the Lord I commend
thee ; on M'hom thou hast believed. May
he strengthen and establish thy faith daily,
that it may grow exceedingly, until he bring
thee to the end of it, and admit thee into
that innumerable company, who are ascribing
blessing, and honour, and gloVy, and power,
to Him that ^vas slain ; and hath redeemed
them unto God by his blood : to whom,
with the Father, and the eternal Spirit, three
Persons in one Jehovah, be equal and ever-
lasting praise, Ame7i,

FINIS-,

NEW

THEOLOGICAL S- CLASSICAL BOOKSTORE,

Solomon Williams, of New-York, and Samuel Whi-
TixG, (late of the house of Backus and Whiting*, booksellers,
Albany,) under the firm of WILLIAMS & WHITING,
inform their friends and the public, that they have commen-
ced the Bookselling business in the city of New -York, No.
118, Pearl-street. They design to make their establishment
particularly subservient to the interests of THEOLOGI-
CAL, CLASSICAL, and POLITE LITERATURE.

In the prosecution of this plan, no exertions on their part
shall be wanting to merit a share of public patronage. They
particularly solicit, and hope to receive, the support of the
friends of piety and learning generally.

Their stock on hand comprises a general assortment of
American editions of theological books, selected with care ;
in addition to which, they have lately received from London
a choice and valuable collection of standard works in divini-
ty and Christian literature, which they offer for sale at a
small advance on the sterling cost.

Their arrangements abroad are such that, in the progress
©f their business they calculate on supplying to any extent,
the orders of their friends, with all the ancient and rare,
modern and newest productions, as they appear in their line ;
as soon, and as far as intercourse is uninterrupted with Eu-
rope.

Williams & Whiting intend to re -publish, as soon and ex-
tensively as the patronage they may receive will authorize,
the leading standard works on elementary and practical sub-
jects in Christian theology. The exorbitant prices of En-
glish books, and the frequent interruptions of our intercourse
with Europe, encourage the patriotic hope, that the publisli-
e-rs will receive that liberal support in this undertaking
which its importance demands ; and which will enable them,

ll^v>.A.

ii

in their turn, liberally to retnunerate the patronage, by giving
correct, elegant, and cheap editions of the most useful and
valuable works.

W, & W have just published, in one volume, handsomely
bound, price gl 50, THORNTON ABBEY; a Series of
Letters on Religious Subjects.

SCOTT'S ESSAYS, on the most importaTit subjects in
Religion — an admirable manual for family and individual use,
1 vol. S 1 25.

CHRISTIAN ECONOMY ; a very ancient and curious
little Tract, 37 1-2 cts. Also,

DOCTOR DWIGHT'S last revision of Watt's Psalms
and Hymns.

They have undertaken and are publishing an elegant edition
of the Worksof the late Rev. JOHN NEWTON, prepared
by himself, and published by his executors, in 6 vols. 8vo.
from the London edition, in a style equal to it, and at half
the price to subscribers, or § 12 in boards. The price will
be advanced 3 dollars to others.

@rj» The volumes are published monthly — Subscriptions
received till their conclusion.

SHUCKFORD'S CONNECTIONS, of Sacred and Pro-
fane History, they have issued proposals for publishing
shortly, in 3 vols. 8vo. at g 7 50. Less than half the price of
the London edition.

The WALK and TRIUMPH OF FAITH, the other
works of Mr. Romaine, are publishing by them, in connexion
with this volume, and will be out in a few days.

BIBLES, of different descriptions in size, quality, and
price, English and American editions, constantly to be had
at their store.

School Books, Maps, Globes, and Stationary, generally.
Mw'Tork, October, 1809.

%^-^

liMi

MiimHi

.:.«te^<^^

- f^M^.-.j '■ w-r

LIBRARY OF CONGRESS

0 019 971 934 8

♦ - '^i,.^

\'*l

'^.X^

hr^"-

i:. vr

m

\*A£¥\ '•£.">*•:.*.. .^^:t:V^

:m\'y/-\

r

' ^

■M'